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FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

























































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Seif met her, as though by chance, in the palace gardens. 








FAIRY TALES >k >k 
FROM THE ORIENT 


By 

FREDERICK H. MARTENS 


Illustrated in Color and 
Black and White by 

GEORGE HOOD 



NEW YORK 

ROBERT M. McBRIDE & COMPANY 
1923 



Copyright, 1923, by 
Robert M. McBride & Co. 


'/V * 
■V 


Printed in the 
United States of America 


Published, 1923 

DEC -5 ’23 


©C1A7C6207 

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. /<»- z 3. 


CONTENTS 


£ 

The History of Abu Hassan— An Arabian Tale . 

The Black Pearl— A Tale of Bahrein . 

Marouf, the Cobbler of Cairo— An Egyptian Tale . 

The Eyes of Kanoula— A Hindoo Legend . 

The White Bird— A Kalmuck Tale . 

The Gardens of Irem— A Persian Tale . 

The Ungrateful Brahmin— A Tale from the Sanskrit . 
The Prince Who Learned the Weaver’s Trade— An 

Armenian Tale . 

The Flower-Fool of Tsiang-Lo— A Chinese Tale . 
The Fountain of Youth— A Japanese Tale ... . 

Mija-Dsin-Usin, The Hundred and One Times Beau¬ 
tiful— A Kabyle Tale . 

The Azure Lily— A Tale of Saracen Spain . 

The Knotted Nose— A Mongolian Tale . 

Rothisen and Keo-Fa— A Cambodian Tale . 

The Lovely Arevahate— A Tale of the Caucasus . . 

The Mullah Idris— A Syrian Tale . . . . . 

The Pit the Cadi Dug— A Mosuli Tale . 

The Lock in the Xa Xa Cavern— An Arabian Nights' 
Tale as Told in Seventeeth Century Europe .... 
Sources. 


PAGE 

1 

18 

24 

59 

74 

82 

101 

114 

125 

160 

169 

181 

191 

199 

206 

223 

231 

239 

291 















ILLUSTRATIONS 


COLORED 


Seif met her, as though by chance, in the palace gardens Frontispiece 

FACING 

PAGE 

And there he saw a city with lofty walls, and palaces and 

rooftops gleaming with gold.^26 

The Sultan received her alone in his great tent of red silk . . 116 


He now came to another room, where stood baskets and basins 
made of pure gold, and which contained precious stones, 
pearls and other jewels.246 


BLACK AND WHITE 

There he sat, looking worn and weary, with a great bundle of 

old boots on his back.80 

Tschou had just finished watering, and was seated alone among 

his flowers.136 

Prince Rothisen gently caressed the birds and thanked them . 202 






PREFACE 


IN these “Fairy Tales from the Orient,” collected 
from a wide variety of sources and retold in this vol¬ 
ume, one main point has been kept consistently in view: 
that they have a genuine “story” interest, that their 
telling really “adorns a tale ” Whether poesy, sheer 
fantasy, humor or simple charm of incident or narra¬ 
tive be the leading feature of a tale, the idea in mind 
has been, first of all, that it must be a real story, and one 
which will be enjoyed primarily as such. 

The writer has allowed himself entire freedom in 
the retelling of these tales, and has taken such liberties 
with their original texts as American standards of pre¬ 
sentation seemed to justify. In harmony with the 
avowed purpose of the book he has expurgated and ex¬ 
tended, altered and adapted as appeared best, and for 
this no apologies are offered. 

The sources have been indicated at the end of the 
book, but the appeal, as already mentioned, is not a folk¬ 
lore one. Its purpose—appropriate enough in the case 
of a volume of Oriental wonder stories is that of the 
professional story teller of “The Thousand and One 
Nights” who, squatting in the market-place of Bagdad 
or Bassourah, aimed to delight rather than instruct 
his auditors. 

Frederick H. Martens. 

Rutherford, N. /. 


# 


FAIRY TALES FROM THE 
ORIENT 


THE HISTORY OF ABU HASSAN 
(An Arabian Tale) 

A BU HASSAN, the poor hunchback of Kahirah, 
returned to his home late one night after hours 
spent listening to the teller of fairy tales in the market¬ 
place. As he passed through the streets he thought 
sadly of his poverty, and made all sorts of plans to ac¬ 
quire wealth. And by the time he had reached his 
little white hut, which shone like silver in the moon¬ 
light, his visions of fancied wealth had made him feel 
quite happy. 

Though he went in softly and tried to lie down noise¬ 
lessly on the wretched pallet in one corner of the bare 
room in which he slept, he woke his old mother. At 
once she began to scold him as the greatest ne’er-do- 
well in Kahirah, unwilling to work, who would rather 
hunger and let his mother starve, than cast his net in 
the river. A skilled fisherman, even though a hunch¬ 
back, could thus support both his mother and him¬ 
self. Besides, it was always possible that he might 
draw up some great treasure sunk in the bed of the 
stream in the days of old. 


l 


2 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

As Abu Hassan listened to this scolding he felt an¬ 
noyed, for his mother knew that she herself had sold 
his net in order to buy haschisha, the herb of joy, of 
which she was inordinately fond. He rose, left the 
house, and walked through the moonlit streets. 

Stopping before the open doors of a caravanserai, he 
looked into the court, where a caravan was fitting out 
with a great deal of confusion. A tall old man with 
a long white beard came to him, and asked whether 
he would care to travel with him as his servant to 
Mecca, for that was where the caravan was bound. 
Now Abu Hassan was still angry because of his 
mother’s words, and especially because she had men¬ 
tioned his humped back, regarding which he was very 
sensitive. So he at once agreed to go, and began to 
help load the camels kneeling on the ground. He per¬ 
spired freely, for he was a man unused to labor, but his 
anger drove him on. There were some fifty camels 
in all, which were loaded with great iron-bound chests, 
and corded bales and sacks, as well as poles and covers 
for tents at night, and a closed litter, meant for the 
merchant’s two daughters. This litter was richly 
adorned with gold and purple. 

When, after much hard labor, all was ready, the 
other camels having risen, standing patiently, and only 
the beast which was to bear the litter—it had snow- 
white hair-still kneeling, they called out to Abu Has¬ 
san to fling himself into the dust and look down to 


THE HISTORY OF ABU HASSAN 3 


earth, while the merchant’s daughters entered their lit¬ 
ter. Abu Hassan was annoyed at this haughtiness. 
Then all rose again, everyone went to his own place, 
and the camels, one after another, strode out of the 
caravanserai in a long row, and took the road to Mecca. 
The sun, rising from the edge of the earth, sent its 
first rays heavenward, and a lark flew up into the blue, 
singing joyously, just as they passed out of the city 
gates. 

The caravan moved on its way with due speed. The 
sun rose higher and the heat grew intense, and they 
rested. On the edge of the desert creatures appeared 
and disappeared again, and the sun went down. Food 
was prepared, they ate and drank and slept, and then 
all rose again and reloaded the beasts, and the file of 
camels trod along in their accustomed path, and the 
sun again sent up its first rays into the heavens above 
them, and rose higher, and again they rested, and again 
the day drew to an end as before. Abu Hassan rode a 
swift, handsome steed, which danced beneath him, 
and he carried glittering weapons which gave him 
unending pleasure. He did not know exactly how he 
came to be riding and carrying weapons. But since 
he thought he would like to know how long they would 
be under way, he dropped a little stone into his pocket 
every evening. After a time, it is true, he was carry¬ 
ing about a large number of little stones. Yet he had 
no idea of how long the caravan had been under way, 


4 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

for he could not count as far as he had stones. This 
made one of the women in the litter laugh, one eve¬ 
ning, so that he heard her. It may be that she had 
noticed him pouring the stones from one hand into 
the other with an embarrassed air. 

The way through the desert was ever the same, save 
when the caravan came to a well at which there were 
palm trees, with sometimes a little group of huts. 
They might have passed some ten of these wells, or 
perhaps, fifty, or a hundred. At last Abu Hassan was 
carrying about two pounds of little stones. Then, one 
noon, he emptied his pockets of them and gathered no 
more. So he did not know how many days or weeks 
had passed when they finally reached the tomb of the 
Prophet. 

He went into the anteroom of the shrine. He ad¬ 
mired the artistic rugs which hung there, and re¬ 
gretted his ignorance, which prevented him from read¬ 
ing the wise and beautiful sayings written on the walls 
in golden letters. Suddenly he heard the tinkling of 
the anklets of a young girl’s feet behind him, and bowed 
as one of the merchant’s dark-eyed daughters passed 
him. He felt that he loved her, and loved her in vain. 
Sad at heart, he went out into the lonely desert, and 
thought of many poems which he knew by heart, and 
which he would have liked to recite to her. 

When he returned to the camp in the evening, his 
master sent for him, and said that he had taken a fancy 


THE HISTORY OF ABU HASSAN 5 

to him and was going to marry him to one of his 
daughters. In addition he would make him a present 
of two thousand dinars of gold, with which he could 
start a business of some kind. And so the wedding 
was celebrated with much pomp and ceremony. 
There were many rich and distinguished guests, and 
Abu Hassan sat at the head of the table, surprising all 
with his grace and good breeding, and his clever and 
well-phrased speeches. The next day he began seri¬ 
ously to consider how to invest the two thousand dinars 
his father-in-law had given him to the best advantage. 
After much thought he hit upon the following plan. 

He had noticed that there were broad stretches of 
fine pasture-land outside the city, which were but little 
used. The people of Mecca kept hardly any cattle, 
for they earned money more easily by lodging the 
strangers who at all times flocked to their city. So 
Abu Hassan said to himself: “I can buy one sheep 
for two dinars, so I will get a thousand sheep for two 
thousand dinars . These sheep I will pasture outside 
the city. The following year, counting in the lambs, 
they will have more than doubled in number. Then 
I will sell them and double my money. After that I 
will go to my father-in-law and tell him of the great 
profit I had made. He will be surprised, and so 
pleased that he will give me more money. But I will 
not content myself with such small gains. I would 
then fit out a caravan with goods that were very cheap 


6 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

in Mecca, but very dear in distant lands. Then I 
would take my caravan to those distant lands and there 
sell for a hundred dinars goods which had cost me 
only a dinar in Mecca. When all had been sold, I 
would have as many hundreds of dinars as I had had 
single ones before. Once all this money was in my 
possession I would no longer remain a merchant. In¬ 
stead, I would gather a large army, giving each soldier 
a high wage, set out for Egypt, conquer the whole 
country, and make myself its sultan. Then my sub¬ 
jects would have to give me, day by day, as much 
money as I wanted, and I would build a very large and 
solid tower of the hardest stone in which to store my 
wealth. And all those who had formerly made fun 
of my hump should be executed.” 

After Abu Hassan had carefully thought this all 
out, he took the bag with two thousand dinars in his 
hand, and went through the streets of Mecca, calling 
out loudly that he wished to buy sheep at two dinars 
apiece. Then he walked on ahead to the pasture, fol¬ 
lowed by the people who had sheep to sell, and in this 
way soon collected a herd of a thousand sheep. Then 
he turned his large herd out to graze, and for days at 
a time took pleasure in watching them as they neatly 
and busily cropped the grass. When the sun went 
down and the sheep had eaten their fill, he drove them 
to a spacious old building, in a half-ruined condition, 
which stood in the fields, shut the gate to prevent their 


THE HISTORY OF ABU HASSAN 


7 

getting out, and returned home to tell his wife what he 
had done. 

But wolves prowled about the outskirts of the city by 
night. They scented the numerous sheep, tracked 
them to the place in which they were confined, leaped 
over the gate of the old building, and killed and ate 
some of the sheep. The others who had not been killed 
crowded together so closely in a corner in their fright 
that they were suffocated, and there Abu Hassan found 
them dead early the following morning, when he came 
to let them out. Abu Hassan’s first impulse was to 
break out into lamentations, but he told himself that 
the wise man shows no weakness in the hour of trial, 
but thinks instead of some remedy for his misfortune. 
Since the sheep had suffocated, and the law forbids the 
sale of animals which have perished in this way, he 
could not dispose of the meat. So he set to work with 
some other men, stripped the beasts of their skins and 
left the bodies where they were. As he drove back to 
Mecca with a wagon piled high with the skins, he 
met a merchant who asked him about them. Abu 
Hassan told him his tale and the man consoled him, 
saying, “Twenty days’ journey from Mecca is a land 
called Kublai. There all the men wear high sheep¬ 
skin caps, and for that reason sheepskins are much 
sought after and high prices are paid for them. The 
merchants who take such skins there make a great deal 
of money. Join the caravan which sets out for Kublai 


8 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

to-morrow morning—I am going with it myself and 
sell your skins there!” So Abu Hassan went home, 
bade farewell to his wife, and set out with the caravan. 
The other merchants with whom he discussed his plan 
all approved of it, and he picked up much valuable 
knowledge while talking with them. When they 
reached Kublai all the merchants spread out their 
goods in a special market in a large and populous city, 
and Abu Hassan sat with his skins in a handsome tent. 
Soon the merchants of Kublai, who had heard of his 
skins, arrived and began to bargain with him. Yet 
since Abu Hassan’s travelling companions had told him 
what to ask they could not get the better of him, and 
he finally sold all his sheep-skins for twenty-thousand 
dinars . In this way he increased the sum his father- 
in-law had given him tenfold, and he thanked Allah 
and blessed his fate. 

After he had carefully counted the money, he put 
it into two bags, took them in his hands and went to 
the inn at which he was staying. There a merchant 
from India stepped up to him and spoke to him. He 
told him that he had visited many countries and seen 
all varieties of goods known, but that the most precious 
commodity in the world was the true ambergris. 
Many gladly paid a high price merely to look at it, 
for its sight was especially strengthening for the eyes. 
True ambergris had the gift of attracting other money 
to its possessor, who grew in wealth of every kind. 


THE HISTORY OF ABU HASSAN 


9 


The man who ate a bit of the true ambergris became 
wiser than all other men, and his wife more beautiful 
than other women. In Kublai the true ambergris was 
not as highly valued as in Mecca, and the merchants 
who carried some back with them could gain a hun¬ 
dredfold. 

“It so happens,” said the Indian merchant, “that I 
possess a small supply of this most precious substance, 
and having taken a fancy to you, I am willing to sell 
you some very, very cheap, a small piece for ten thou¬ 
sand dinars ” With that he drew out a little sandal¬ 
wood box, opened it and showed Abu Hassan the true 
ambergris—a small globule of a reddish-brown color 
the size of a walnut, lying on a bed of blue silk. 

Abu Hassan was delighted with the offer. He 
thanked the foreign merchant heartily for his great 
kindness, and regretted the fact that he had only twenty 
thousand dinars, and hence could acquire only two 
pieces of this rare and precious substance. These 
two pieces, however, he was willing to purchase at 
once, lest the seller change his mind, and with that he 
passed the two bags of money into his hands. Then 
the Indian merchant drew a second little box from 
his pocket, showed Abu Hassan the globule of the true 
ambergris it contained and let him verify its contents. 
In addition to the true ambergris, because of his af¬ 
fection for him, he also presented Abu Hassan with 
the two boxes, though these were very costly, and as 


IO FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


a rule he charged extra for them. And then he went 
his way. 

Abu Hassan joyfully hurried back to his friends, 
showed them the little boxes and declared he would 
make a great profit on the sale of the ambergris in 
Mecca. But the merchants all began to laugh until 
the tears rolled down their cheeks, and when Abu Has¬ 
san asked them why they were laughing they explained 
that the pretended Indian merchant was a famous thief, 
who had already deceived many people, and that there 
was no such thing as the “true ambergris” about 
which he told his fairy tales. The globules of 
ambergris were in reality nothing but pellets of worth¬ 
less gum. 

This news greatly saddened Abu Hassan. He went 
off to a lonely spot and wept bitterly. Then he re-i 
fleeted that this setback, too, had been destined him and 
that it was well, after all, to be done with it. Perhaps 
fortune might still do him some unexpected kindness 
as in the case of his sheep. With these thoughts he 
started out to return to Mecca, alone and unburdened, 
for this time he carried no wares with him. 

When he had travelled nineteen days and had but a 
single day’s journey still before him, he met a man who 
invited him to spend his last night on the road in his 
house. Abu Hassan accepted the invitation. He was 
well received, and his host’s wife gave him plenty to 
eat and drink, but kept modestly in the background, 


THE HISTORY OF ABU HASSAN n 


though she listened to all that was said. After they 
had eaten his host asked Abu Hassan to tell him his 
story. So Abu Hassan began to tell the whole tale, 
how he had left Kahirah, had married and been given 
the two thousand dinars, and all his subsequent adven¬ 
tures. But he did not mention that the true ambergris 
was nothing but worthless gum, for he was ashamed to 
say that he had been tricked. He showed the two little 
boxes and praised the wonderful powers of their con¬ 
tents. His host and his host’s wife were both greatly 
astonished at Abu Hassan’s experiences and, since it 
had grown dark in the meanwhile, they led him to the 
guest chamber and went to bed themselves. 

At midnight, however, the door of Abu Hassan’s 
room opened and his host appeared. After telling 
Abu Hassan not to be alarmed, he spoke to him as 
follows: “I have a fortune of a hundred thousand 
dinars which is hidden under the floor of the eastern 
corner of this room. I am not very bright myself and 
for that reason have always been called ‘Lackwit,* 
though I am handsome and well-built. So I married 
a woman who, though she was homely was very wise, 
hoping that my children would take after me in looks 
and after their mother as regards intelligence! Now 
I beg of you, for the love of Allah, sell me one of your 
pieces of the true ambergris for the hundred thousand 
dinars, even though you make no great profit on the 
sale. I will eat the ambergris and grow wise, and, if 


12 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


anything should happen to my wife—she is not strong 
—I might have better luck with another.” 

After this speech he dug in the eastern corner of the 
room, drew forth a bag of dinars and handed it to 
Abu Hassan. And the latter said that out of sympathy 
for his misfortune he would let him have the ambergris 
for the trifling sum he had mentioned, and gave him 
one of the little boxes. And the man thanked him and 
left the room. 

Abu Hassan was so happy at this unexpected good 
fortune that he could not go to sleep; and in a short 
time the door once more opened and his host’s wife ap¬ 
peared. She in turn explained to him that she had 
one hundred thousand dinars hidden under the floor 
in the western corner of the room. “Being a homely 
but keen-witted woman,” she said, “I married a hand¬ 
some but stupid man in the hope that our children 
would take after their father so far as looks are con¬ 
cerned, and after me with regard to their intelligence. 
But, alas, my children are both witless and ugly! 
Therefore, for the love of Allah, sell me a piece of 
the true ambergris, for a hundred thousand dinars . I 
will eat the ambergris and become beautiful and, if 
anything should happen to my husband—fox he is not 
strong—I might have better luck with another.” After 
this speech she dug in the western corner of the room, 
and handed Abu Hassan the bag of dinars . He told 
her what he had already told her husband, and gave 


THE HISTORY OF ABU HASSAN 13 

her his remaining box of ambergris, whereupon she 
thanked him and went away. 

The following morning the man and his wife took 
leave of Abu Hassan with a thousand kind wishes. 
The latter, laden with his two hundred thousand dinars, 
hurried on, panting, to Mecca, where he arrived that 
very evening and was joyfully received by his wife. 

When Abu Hassan thought of all his troubles and 
difficulties, and how twice he had lost everything only 
to win it back again through some unexpected stroke 
of luck, he decided to invest his fortune securely, at a 
safe interest, even though that interest were small. So 
he began to examine those houses in Mecca which were 
for sale. He thought of buying one which he could 
turn into an inn, where the strangers who came to the 
city would be well entertained, and would be glad to 
pay a high price for good food and accommodations. 
It was then that a rich man came to him and told him 
that he owned a whole quarter of the city, worth at 
least two hundred thousand dinars . “I have learned,” 
he said, “that my enemies have complained of me to 
the Caliph. Hence I wish to flee and sell all I have 
cheaply. If you give me the two hundred thousand 
dinars, Abu Hassan, you can have the whole quarter 
of the city.” So Abu Hassan bought the whole quarter 
of the city, and the very next day moved into the finest 
house that stood in it. 

Now his wife was curious to see every room in the 


i 4 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

house. It was already evening, so Abu Hassan lighted 
a wax taper, handed it to his wife, and led her through 
the entire building. Finally they came to the highest 
attic, directly under the roof, and there they found a 
great pile of hay and straw heaped up, left by the 
former owner. While they were congratulating them¬ 
selves on this unexpected find, a large rat suddenly 
rushed out of the straw, probably frightened by the 
light, and ran directly toward Abu Hassan’s wife. 
The latter was so terrified that she screamed and let 
fall the taper. At once the hay and straw were ablaze. 
Both hurried back to the stairs, but only Abu Hassan 
reached them, for his wife was hampered by her clothes 
and the flames barred her way. The whole house 
burned down. A strong wind arose, other houses in 
turn caught fire, and while Abu Hassan stood in the 
street, tearing his hair and mourning his misfortune, 
the entire quarter burned to the ground. When he 
realized this, however, he once more reflected that it 
already had been written down in the book of fate, and 
that he must resign himself to his loss. 

The following morning he sought out his father-in- 
law and told him the whole of his lamentable tale, in¬ 
cluding his last crowning misfortune. He appeared 
before him looking like a scarecrow, just as he had 
at first entered his service, for he had put on his old 
rags in order to save his handsome clothes while he 
showed his wife the house. But Abu Hassan’s father- 


THE HISTORY OF ABU HASSAN 15 


in-law, when he had heard his story, grew very angry, 
and drove him out of the house with unkind words 
and blows. 

So Abu Hassan wandered back again to the market¬ 
place. There he spied a fellow-townsman of his from 
Kahirah. The latter asked him what he had been do¬ 
ing and when Abu Hassan told his story, encouraged 
him to go back home. “There,” said he, “you will find 
people who know you. A poor man has no friends in 
a strange land. I will take you on as a muleteer in 
my caravan.” That suited Abu Hassan, and he set 
forth with the caravan from Mecca that very same day. 

Again many days went by and Abu Hassan thought 
with regret of his first journey and the white camel 
carrying the litter, from whose neck hung a little silver 
bell. Yet it seemed to him that on this occasion time 
passed more swiftly, for before he knew it he once 
more found himself at home in his hut. And his 
mother was again scolding him for being the greatest 
ne’er-do-well in Kahirah, unwilling to work, who 
would rather hunger and let his mother starve than 
cast his net in the river. A skilled fisherman, even 
though a hunchback, could thus support both his 
mother and himself. Besides, it was always possible 
that he might draw up some great treasure sunk in the 
bed of the stream in the days of old. 

As she spoke these words, Abu Hassan awoke—and 
it turned out that he never moved from the spot. He 


16 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


had gone neither to Mecca nor to Kublai, but had been 
sound asleep. And not a number of years and months 
had passed, but merely a couple of hours. All that 
had happened to him he had dreamt since he had been 
lying on his wretched pallet. So Abu Hassan sighed, 
told his mother that she herself had sold his net in order 
to buy haschisha, the herb of joy, of which she was in¬ 
ordinately fond, and then, rising, left the house and 
went out into the streets in the direction of the river. 
And as he walked he thought to himself: 

“Our life is the dream of an hour though we think 
it lasts for eighty years. Man is a wave in the stream 
that flashes in the moonlight and vanishes the same in¬ 
stant. The inhabitants of a city live like the gnats that 
dance about the crown of a linden-tree as the last rays 
of the setting sun touch its topmost leaves, while the 
mists of night are rising f rom the ground. We set our 
heart on riches, or beauty, or power. We worry and 
labor and yet we are like the leaves that fall from the 
tree and which the wind bloweth where it listeth. 
And struggles, love, riches, armies, cities, and whole 
nations are not real, but only images formed within our 
brain, and we think they are round about us. 

“There are clever merchants who with two thousand 
dinars make twenty thousand, and with twenty thou¬ 
sand two hundred thousand, and with two hundred 
thousand two thousand times a hundred thousand, a 
sum beyond a man’s power to imagine. For such 


THE HISTORY OF ABU HASSAN 17 

is the value of an entire quarter of the city of Mecca, 
now burned down—Mecca, a city of great palaces of 
white marble, with windows of golden lattice-work, 
fountains, rich shops and luxurious burghers, who have 
slaves going before them carrying torches when they 
enter their houses at night. All that people have 
gained with two thousand dinars . Yet, alas, all this 
was but smoke which rose in the air, leaving nothing 
but ashes! Yes, there was a man who wished to be a 
king, and would have been one, owing to the fruitful¬ 
ness of the sheep. But he was like the flame of a taper 
blown out by the wind of fate. Had he been able be¬ 
fore that to take but a single step in advance, then the 
flame would have touched a straw heap, and the wind’s 
breath would have fanned it to a devouring fire, swal¬ 
lowing cities and rising to the skies, visible to all men 
on earth 1” 


THE BLACK PEARL 


(A Tale of Bahrein) 

O NE day when Amry, the pearl-diver, had gone 
to the shop of the court jeweller of Oman, to sell 
him the pearls he had found beneath the waters of the 
isle of Bahrein, the beautiful Anouba, wife of the sul¬ 
tan, stopped her palanquin at the merchant’s door. 
Coming toward him, she held out a wonderful black 
pearl, from which the light drew golden reflections. 

“Have you a pearl to match this which you can sell 
me?” she asked. 

The jeweller took the pearl, laid it on a cushion of 
silk and studied it, his hands crossed upon his breast, 
like a Brahmin adoring his god. And then he shook 
his head with discouragement and replied, “This pearl 
has no equal in the world.” And Amry, who had 
drawn near, softly echoed the merchant’s words. 

“Then it would be useless for me to try to find the 
mate of this pearl of mine?” asked the beautiful 
Anouba. 

“Princess,” replied the merchant, bowing to the 
ground, “ask me for emeralds as large as pigeons’ eggs, 
ask me for translucent jade-stones, ask me for cabo- 
18 


THE BLACK PEARL 


19 


chons of topaz, glowing like tigers’ eyes, and for those 
rubies of Ceylon which shed fire by night. Those, by 
the mercy of Allah, your slave can lay at your feet! 
Yet before another pearl like yours be found, the stars 
of heaven will fall in a shower of gold on your palace 
roof!” While they spoke the Princess who had 
glanced round the shop from beneath her veil, noticed 
that Amry, leaning against a bamboo pillar, was look¬ 
ing at the pearl. 

“Is this man your slave?” the beautiful Anouba asked 
the merchant. 

Amry proudly raised his head. “I am Amry, the 
pearl-diver. The son of the sea is no man’s slave!” 

“Amry,” said Anouba, “do you also say that the equal 
of my black pearl cannot be found?” 

“In a bay of the island of Bahrein,” said Amry, “two 
hundred feet under water, lies a coral-reef on which 
old Phangar, the most famous diver of the Gulf, found 
the black pearl which Prince Meschad wears in the 
pommel of his dagger. It is possible that the mate to 
your pearl might be found there. But Phangar never 
again dived into that abyss, and he trembles with ter¬ 
ror when he passes over it in his boat.” 

“Why should he tremble?” asked Anouba, filled with 
curiosity. 

“When Phangar, his left foot clinging to the leaden 
weight which carried him to the bottom, shot through 
the water, he passed through a whirlpool of green 


20 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


waves which boiled and swirled around him like the 
lava of the volcanoes. So great was the shock that 
when his plummet reached bottom he fell forward on 
his hands and knees. Yet, though the sharp points of 
the coral, whose cut pricks like hot iron, drew blood 
from a hundred wounds, he did not complain. He at 
once set to work, and had already gathered a hundred 
oysters in his linen bag when it seemed as though the 
whole reef were rising around him, and a floating mass, 
gray like the coral itself, advanced slowly toward him, 
stretching forth long tentacles as flexible as forest 
creepers. One of these tentacles touched Phangar’s 
breast and attached itself there, but Phangar could 
not cry out. A gigantic squid, floating but a few yards 
away from him, had fixed him with its pale green eyes, 
luminous with a cold flame. 

“When Phangar’s comrades, who had remained in 
the boat, felt his life-line suddenly stiffen, they hastened 
to draw him to the surface—only just in time. The 
diver had lost consciousness, and on his breast was the 
mark left by the squid. Three days later, when he 
opened the pearls he had brought up, one of them con¬ 
tained the superb black pearl which Prince Meschid 
afterwards bought for a fabulous price.” 

“That is well,” said the sultan’s wife. “Since you 
know where the black pearls are to be found, you 
must plunge in the Gulf of Bahrein for me, de¬ 
scend to the coral-reef, slay the monster who guards 


THE BLACK PEARL 


21 


the treasure, and bring back the pearl I desire.” 

Amry replied, “Who knows whether there are two 
pearls equally matched in all the seas of the world? 
And why should I risk my life to satisfy your caprice, 
even though you be the sultan’s wife? Yet for the 
sake of my mother, who is old and infirm, and whom 
I would fain take far from this sea-coast, whose air lies 
heavy on her lungs, I will dive for you for a price.” 

“What is the price you ask?” queried the Princess 
Anouba. 

“No less than twenty thousand pieces of gold,” said 
Amry. 

“So be it,” replied Anouba. “You ask a great sum. 
Yet, if you can bring me a pearl as large and beautiful 
as this, then you shall have the twenty thousand pieces 
of gold.” 

And Amry said, “I will go to seek the black pearl 
at the bottom of the abyss of Bahrein, even though 
I have to leave my flesh and bones on the craggy points 
of the coral-reef.” 

The following day, after having taken leave of his 
aged mother, to whom he said nothing of his inten¬ 
tions, however, Amry took his boat and set off in the 
direction in which he knew the treasure was to be 
found. When he had shot to the bottom of the sea, he 
made haste to fill his linen bag with the largest and 
finest oysters on the reef. And then, just as he was 
about to rise once more to the surface, he saw in a rocky 


22 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

niche, an oyster of monster size. He stretched forth 
his hand and grasped it, and at that moment the giant 
squid which made its home on the coral bank, suddenly 
wound its tentacles around him. Amry seemed lost. 
Yet Allah the Compassionate watches over those who 
honor their parents! He does not suffer them to go 
down to destruction. From the heights of his golden, 
irradiant throne in Paradise, whose light is like a 
glistening star, the omniscient eye of Allah beheld 
Amry struggling beneath the gloomy waters of the sea 
with the squid. Slightly, very slightly, Allah nodded 
his head, and angels in their thousands, to whom Allah’s 
unspoken thought comes with the clear sweetness of 
a celestial voice, hastened to do his bidding. At 
either hand they thrust back the clouds which hid it 
from the sight of man, and for one brief moment the 
light of Allah’s throne was unveiled in all its inef¬ 
fable brightness. And in that moment, before the 
clouds closed round the throne again, its light clove 
through the spaces of the seven heavens, through the 
airs of earth and the water of the sea. Like a sword 
of flame it struck the monster beneath the waves, who, 
as it touched it, turned into a black and shrivelled; 
mass. 

Amry, released from the embrace which was suffo¬ 
cating him, knew who had intervened on his behalf, 
and his last waking thought was a prayer of gratitude 
to Allah the Merciful. His linen bag had been torn 


THE BLACK PEARL 


23 


from him in the struggle with the squid, but when his 
comrades drew him to the surface of the water, torn, 
bleeding and unconscious, he still held tightly clasped 
in his hand the monstrous oyster he had torn from 
the rock a few moments before. 

When he opened the oyster in his humble home, be¬ 
hold, it contained a pearl even larger and more beau¬ 
tiful than that of the Princess Anouba, with reflections 
even more golden than those of the gem set in the hilt 
of Prince Meschid’s dagger! 

In the morning he took it to the sultan’s palace, and 
when the Princess Anouba had seen and examined it, 
she clapped her hands with delight, called for the 
treasurer, and Amry’s twenty thousand pieces of gold 
were counted out to him forthwith. Never did Amry 
plunge for pearls again. A rich man, he took his aged 
mother to the pleasant city of Yemen, where he bought 
a fine house in whose rose-gardens the nightingales 
sang, and the voice of the sea was never heard. There 
his mother recovered her health, and he himself mar¬ 
ried and lived happily for many a long year. 


MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 
(An Egyptian Tale) 

O NCE upon a time there lived in the city of Cairo 
a cobbler named Marouf, who found it so hard 
to make a living, that half the time he did not have 
enough to eat. Naturally, he was low-spirited most 
of the time. One evening, after an especially unprofit¬ 
able day, he was seized with desperation. He had left 
his empty shop and was wandering aimlessly through 
the streets when he was overtaken by a sudden storm. 
Wet to the skin he took refuge in a ruined hermit cell 
near the Adilije Mosque, and bewailed his misfortunes 
while he watched the falling rain. Suddenly the wall 
of the cell split in twain, and a tall figure whose aspect 
filled him with terror stood before him. 

“Why do you disturb me this evening?’’ asked the 
djinn. “I have been living here two hundred years, 
and no one has ever come here and acted as you have. 
Tell me what you wish, and your wish shall be granted, 
for my heart is filled with pity for you.” 

Marouf answered, “Who and what are you?” and 
the djinn replied, “I am the spirit inhabiting this ruin.” 
Then Marouf told him his troubles, and the djinn 
24 


MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 25 


asked, “Shall I carry you to a land where you can begin 
life anew?” And when Marouf replied, “Yes,” the 
djinn at once took him on his back, and flew with him 
from sunset to sunrise, when he deposited him on a 
high hill. 

“If you descend this hill,” said he, “you will find 
yourself at the gates of the city of Khaitan-el-Khotan, 
and there you may have better luck cobbling than in 
Cairo.” Thereupon he disappeared, leaving Marouf 
standing there, his mouth wide open with astonish¬ 
ment, while the dawn began to break. So Marouf 
climbed down the hill, and there he saw a city with 
lofty walls, and palaces and rooftops gleaming with 
gold, fit to delight any heart. But when he entered 
the city gate and wandered through the bazaars, the 
townsfolk gaped at him with amazement, and some of 
them asked him whether he were a stranger. “Yes,” 
answered Marouf, “and I come from Cairo, the city 
of happiness.” “And when did you leave Cairo?” 
continued his questioner. “No longer ago than yes¬ 
terday, at the time of the afternoon prayer,” answered 
Marouf. Then the other laughed and called his 
friends, and told them to look at the man who had 
come from Cairo the day before. And they all cried, 
“How could you have left Cairo at the time of after¬ 
noon prayer, yesterday, when it takes a whole year to 
journey from Cairo to this city?” 

While Marouf was still insisting that he had told the 


26 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

truth, a merchant rode up on a mule, followed by two 
slaves, who made a way for him through the crowd. 
The merchant called out to the people, “Are you not 
ashamed of crowding about this stranger and making 
fun of him?” And to Marouf he said, “Come with 
me, brother, these shameless people shall not molest 
you!” He led him to a large mansion, and bade him 
seat himself in a splendidly decorated reception room. 
Then he gave an order to his slaves, who opened a chest 
and offered Marouf a robe suited to a merchant who 
had made a fortune. And when Marouf, who was 
well-built, had donned it, he really looked like a per¬ 
son of distinction. Then the merchant commanded 
that a meal be served, and after they had eaten it at a 
table loaded with the most appetizing dishes of every 
kind, he asked the name of his guest. “My name is 
Marouf and I am a cobbler by trade,” said the latter. 
Other questions followed: 

“Whence do you come?” 

“From Cairo.” 

“And from what quarter of the town?” 

“From the Red Street.” 

“And whom do you know in the Red Street? Do 
you know Sheik Ahmed the Druggist?” 

“Sheik Ahmed was my next-door neighbor. He is 
well and happy.” 

And Marouf told the merchant that Ali, Sheik 
Ahmed’s son, had been his own playmate before he 



... and there he saw a city with lofty walls, 
and palaces and roof-tops gleaming with gold.’ 



















. 











































































































































































































MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 27 


had run away from Cairo. Then the merchant cried, 

“Allah bless you for good tidings I I am that Ali, 
Sheik Ahmed’s son, with whom you played and you, 
Oh, Marouf, are my friend!” 

And Marouf told him his troubles and his adven¬ 
ture with the djinn, and Ali in turn explained how he 
had come to this distant city, and had thriven and pros¬ 
pered. Finally, when Marouf asked him what he was 
to do, Ali replied, “To-morrow, Allah willing, I shall 
give you a thousand dinars of gold and a mule, together 
with a slave to clear your way as you ride to the gate 
of the merchants’ bazaar. Go among the merchants, 
and when I see you I will rise, kiss your hand, and 
show you much attention. And whenever I ask you, 
‘Have you brought a large quantity of such and such 
goods?’ then answer, ‘A great deal.’ And in truth the 
goods you bring are a will to work and intelligence. 
Then when they question me regarding you, I shall 
praise you to them and say, ‘Let him have a storehouse 
and a shop.’ I will assure them you are a rich and 
generous man; and whenever a beggar comes to you, 
give him a trifle, so that they will believe my words 
and be convinced of your wealth and liberality, and 
respect you. Then invite all the other merchants to 
a banquet, so that they may become better acquainted 
with you; buy and sell in the bazaar, and in a short 
time you will have become a rich man.” 

The following morning Ali gave Marouf a thousand 


28 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


dinars of gold, a handsome robe, a mule, and a slave 
to go before him, and said: “Allah release you from 
all debt, for you are my friend, and it is my duty to 
treat you in an open-hearted manner! Forget your 
griefs, and begin life here anew.” To which Marouf 
answered, “May Allah reward you!” mounted the mule 
and rode to the bazaar. 

When Ali the merchant saw him draw near he 
leaped up and flung himself upon him, crying, “O, 
blessed day! It is Marouf the merchant, a man of 
good works!” He kissed his hand and continued to 
the other merchants, “Brethren, Marouf the merchant 
favors us with his company!” Then all greeted him, 
Ali encouraging them, so that Marouf became more 
important in their eyes. And, after Marouf had dis¬ 
mounted, when one or the other questioned Ali, the 
latter said, “Yes, so far as wealth is concerned, he is one 
of the greatest merchants to be found anywhere. The 
fortune gathered by his father and his ancestors is fa¬ 
mous in Cairo. He is a partner in great ventures in 
El-Hind, the land of the Ganges, and in El-Sind, the 
land of the lower Indus, as well as in Yemen, and is 
famed for his generosity. It would be well to do hom¬ 
age to his standing and position, for he has only come 
to our city to see the land and the people, since it is 
not necessary for him to travel for gain. He owns 
property which no fire can destroy, and I am his serv¬ 
ant.” 


MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 29 


Thus he praised Marouf until all were buzzing his 
praises into each other’s ears, crowding about him, 
and offering him sherbets and sweetmeats. When the 
shahbender, the head of the bazaar, came to greet him, 
Ali asked, so that the other merchants could hear him, 
“Did you, perhaps, O lord, bring with you such and such 
goods?” (Ali had already showed him various costly 
stuffs and taught him their names), and Marouf an¬ 
swered, “A great quantity.” When another merchant 
asked him, “And have you brought some yellow cloth?” 
he replied, “A great quantity!” “And cloth of gazelle- 
blood red?” “A great quantity!” Then one merchant 
said to Ali, “If your countryman wished to send out 
a thousand loads of valuable stuffs, he could easily do 
so,” and Ali answered, “He could make up the loads 
from a single one of his warehouses and never miss 
them.” 

Then, while they were seated in the bazaar, a beggar 
came and made the round of the merchants, and one 
among them gave him a small piece of silver and an¬ 
other a copper coin, and the majority nothing at all. 
But when he came to Marouf the latter gave him a 
handful of gold, and the beggar blessed him and went. 
The merchants were astonished and said, “That was a 
royal gift. He gave the beggar gold without counting. 
Were he not a very rich man he would not have given 
the beggar a handful of gold.” After a time there 
came a poor woman, to whom he also gave a handful 


I 


30 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

of gold. She left him murmuring blessings, and soon 
told the other beggars, all of whom now came running 
to him one after another, while he continued to deal 
out handfuls of gold to them until his thousand dinars 
were gone. Then he struck his hands together and 
cried, “Allah is my sufficiency, and he is an excellent 
steward!” The shahbender asked, “What is amiss, 
merchant Marouf?” And Marouf answered, “It 
seems to me that most of the people of this city are 
beggars and poor. Had I known this in advance, I 
could have brought some money with me in my travel¬ 
ling bag, and have given it to them. I fear I shall re¬ 
main away from home a long time, and it is not in 
my nature to refuse any beggar. Now my gold is 
gone and, if a beggar appeals to me, what shall I say 
to him?” 

The shahbender replied. “Tell him that Allah will 
provide his daily bread.” But Marouf shook his head. 
“Such is not my custom, it would annoy me, and I 
should like to have a thousand dinars which I can dis¬ 
tribute as alms until my baggage arrives.” So the 
shahbender told him not to be troubled, had a servant 
fetch him a thousand dinars, and Marouf handed them 
out to every beggar who passed until the hour of mid¬ 
day prayer had come. Then he stepped into the prin¬ 
cipal mosque with the other merchants, and after he 
had said his prayers, scattered what was left of the 
thousand dinars over the heads of those praying, so 


MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 31 

that the people noticed him and blessed him, while 
the merchants were astounded at his nobility and gen¬ 
erosity. Thereupon he turned to another merchant, 
and borrowed another thousand dinars from him for 
distribution, while his friend Ali watched him with¬ 
out daring to say a word. In this manner Marouf con¬ 
tinued until the hour of afternoon prayer, when he went 
to the mosque and distributed the remainder of the 
money. And when the gates of the bazaar were 
closed, Marouf had borrowed and given away five 
thousand dinars of gold, telling everyone from whom 
he had borrowed, “When my caravan arrives, you shall 
have gold or goods, as best pleases you, for I have a 
great quantity with me.” 

In the evening he invited the Ali and the other mer¬ 
chants to a banquet, made Ali occupy the place of 
honor, and talked of nothing but jewels and costly 
stuffs. Whenever any rich fabrics were mentioned, he 
would say, “I have a great quantity of them ” The 
next day he went back to the bazaar, and again bor¬ 
rowed money which he distributed to the poor. After 
he had carried on in this way for some twenty days, 
however, and had borrowed sixty thousand dinars from 
the merchants without his caravan or anything else 
arriving, his creditors began to ask for their money. 
They said, “The merchant Marouf’s caravan does not 
seem to arrive. How long will he go on borrowing 
money from us to give to the poor? One of them 


32 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

suggested that they speak to Marouf’s countryman Ali 
about it. So they went to the latter and said, “Ali, 
your friend Marouf’s caravan does not arrive.” Ali 
replied, “Have patience, it is sure to come soon.” But 
he took Marouf aside and said to him, “Marouf, what 
does this mean? Did I tell you to bake your bread 
or to burn it? Here are the merchants crying 
for their money, and telling me that you owe them 
sixty thousand dinars, which you have taken from them 
and distributed among the poor. How can you pay 
these people, since you neither buy nor sell?” 

Marouf answered, “Why, what is the matter? What 
are sixty thousand dinars? When my caravan arrives 
I will give it back to them, in stuffs or in gold or in 
silver, as they may choose.” Then Ali cried, “Allah 
is great! But have you any stuffs?” And Marouf 
answered, “A great quantity of them.” Then Ali said 
to him, “May Allah and his saints punish your im¬ 
pudence! Did I teach you these words to be used 
against me? I will tell the people what you really 
are.” 

But Marouf was ready with an answer, “Away with 
you and do not chatter so! Do you think I am a 
beggar? You think my words are false! But I have 
prayed to Allah to give me this caravan, and I am 
sure he will answer my prayer. He will not see me 
shamed. I shall have a great quantity of stuffs in my 
caravan, and when it arrives, all shall have double 




MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 33 

the value of their money in goods. I do not need 
them.” These words enraged Ali and he replied, 
“You ill-nurtured being, I will show you what it means 
to persist in such shameless falsehoods.” But all 
Marouf said was, “Do what you will, so far as you 
are concerned. As for them, let them wait until my 
caravan comes, and then they shall have their money 
and more to boot.” 

Thereupon Ali left him and went away, saying to 
himself, “First I praised him, and if I now censure 
him I will seem to have told a falsehood. I will prove 
the truth of the proverb which says AVho first praises 
and then censures is a two-fold falsifier.’ ” And he 
did not know what to do. When the merchants came 
to him and asked him whether he had spoken to 
Marouf, he replied, “Dear friends, I am ashamed to 
speak to him about the matter, since he also owes me 
a thousand dinars . When you loaned him the money 
you did not ask my advice, so you cannot look to me 
for anything. Ask him for your money yourselves, 
and if he does not give it to you, then complain to the 
sultan, and say, ‘He is a swindler, who has tricked us.’ 
And the sultan will do justice.” 

So the merchants went to the Sultan of Khaitan, 
saying, “O lord of the ages, we do not know what to 
do with regard to this merchant, who is of unexampled 
generosity. He does thus and so, and all that he bor¬ 
rows he distributes with full hands among the beggars. 


34 


FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


Were he a needy man he would not fling away his 
gold to the beggars by the fistful; yet if he be rich, 
the truth of his assertions would have been proven by 
the arrival of his caravan. We see no caravan arrive, 
however, though he claims that it exists, and started 
out before him. Whenever we mention some kind of 
stuff he says, ‘I have a great quantity of it,’ yet a long 
time has passed without our seeing a sign of his cara¬ 
van, and he owes us sixty thousand dinars, all of which 
he has distributed among the beggars of Kha'itan.” 
Then they praised Marouf and lauded his generosity. 

The sultan, however, was very avaricious, even more 
avaricious than Aschab, the slave of the Caliph Othman 
whose name is a symbol of stinginess. When he heard 
tales of Marouf’s nobility and generosity his greed got 
the better of him, and he said to his vizier, “If this 
merchant did not possess a great deal of money he 
would not be so generous. His caravan is sure to 
arrive, and then the merchants will crowd around him, 
and he will shower them with gold. I have a better 
claim to this money than they have. I will become 
his friend, and show him favor, and when his caravan 
comes I will take from him what the merchants other¬ 
wise would get. Then I shall marry him to my 
daughter and add his money to my money.” The 
vizier replied, “O lord of the ages, I think that he is 
a swindler, and the swindler lays waste the house of 
the avaricious.” 



MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 35 

Said the sultan, “O vizier, I shall put him to the 
test, to discover whether he be a swindler or whether 
he speak the truth, whether he grew up in wealth or 
in poverty.” “And how will you prove him?” asked 
the vizier. The sultan replied, “I have a jewel which 
I shall offer him. If he is able to estimate its value, 
then he is a man of means, but if not then he is a de¬ 
ceiver and a charlatan, and I shall have him duly 
executed.” 

So the sultan had Marouf sent for, seated him beside 
him, and said, “Marouf, the merchants of Khaitan de¬ 
clare that you owe them sixty thousand dinars . Is this 
true?” And Marouf replied, “Yes, indeed!” Then 
the sultan asked, “Why do you not give them their 
money?” To which Marouf answered, “They must 
have patience until my caravan arrives, then I will 
give them double what I owe. If they wish gold they 
shall have gold; if they wish silver, they shall have 
silver; if they wish stuffs, they shall have stuffs. The 
man whom I owe a thousand shall receive two thou¬ 
sand from me, for saving my face in the presence of 
the poor, for I have a great quantity of everything.” 

Then the sultan said, “Merchant, take this stone and 
tell me its kind and value,” and he gave him a jewel 
the size of a hazel-nut, for which he had paid a thou¬ 
sand dinars. The sultan valued it highly, for he had 
none other like it. But Marouf took it in his hand 
and crushed it, pressing it between his thumb and index 


36 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

finger, for it was thin and could not bear pressure. 
When the sultan asked him why he had crushed the 
jewel, he laughed and answered, “O lord of the ages, 
that was no jewel! That was only a bit of stone valued 
at a thousand dinars . How can you call that a jewel? 
The price of a jewel is seventy thousand dinars, and 
what you gave me can only be called a bit of stone. A 
jewel smaller than a walnut has no value in my eyes, 
and I do not bother with it. How can you, who are 
Sultan of Khaitan, call this bit of stone valued at a 
thousand dinars a jewel? However, you are excusable, 
for you are poor and your treasures have no value.” 

Then the sultan inquired, “O merchant, have you 
jewels of the kind you mention?” Marouf answered, 
“A great quantity!” Greed took possession of the sul¬ 
tan and he said, “Will you give me some of these true 
jewels?” And Marouf said, “When my caravan ar¬ 
rives, I will give you a great quantity of them. All 
you may care to ask for I have in quantity, and will 
give you for nothing.” Then the sultan was happy and 
said to the merchants, “Go your way and wait until 
his caravan arrives; then come to me and I will give 
you your money.” 

“Be attentive to this Marouf,” the sultan told his 
vizier, “talk to him about this and that, and speak of 
my daughter, the Princess Saamcheddine, so that he 
will marry her, and we can gather in his treasures.” 
The vizier replied, “O lord of the ages, this man’s 


MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 37 

manner does not please me! I think he is a swindler 
and falsifier. Forget your words, lest you lose your 
fair daughter for naught and less than naught.” Now 
the vizier himself had already urged the sultan to allow 
him to marry his daughter, and the sultan had been 
willing, but the maiden had refused to wed him. In 
speaking ill of Marouf he was serving his own selfish 
ends. So the sultan replied, “You traitor! You wish 
me no good, for you yourself wanted to marry my 
daughter, and she refused you. Now you try to pre¬ 
vent her from marrying to advantage for your own 
ends. The whole matter is no concern of yours. How 
can Marouf be a swindler when he told me the exact 
price of the jewel, and crushed it because it did not 
please him? He has jewels in quantity, and when he 
sees how charming my daughter is, he will lose his 
heart to her, and give her gems and other valuables. 
And you wish to rob my daughter and myself of these 
riches!” Then the vizier said no more, for he feared 
the sultan’s rage, and thought to himself, “Once set the 
dogs on the cattle, and you will not be able to make 
them give over.” He went to Marouf and said to him, 
“His majesty the sultan is fond of you, and he has a 
charming daughter whom he would like to have marry 
you. What do you say?” 

Marouf replied, “It can do no harm, but he will 
have to wait until my caravan arrives, for the wedding 
gift befitting a princess must be a great one, in keeping 


38 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

with her rank. I have no money about me at present, 
so the sultan must have patience until my caravan 
comes, for I have belongings in quantity, and under any 
circumstances, wish to make her a present of five thou¬ 
sand bags of gold. Besides that, I need a thousand 
bags to distribute among the poor on my wedding 
night; a thousand bags for those who take part in the 
procession; and a thousand bags for the soldiers and 
their banquet. In addition I still need a hundred 
jewels to present to the princess on her wedding morn¬ 
ing, and a hundred jewels to distribute among her 
slaves and eunuchs, for each must have a jewel in honor 
of the bride’s rank. Finally, I still lack money with 
which to clothe a thousand naked beggars, and other 
alms also will have to be distributed. This, however, 
I can do when my caravan arrives, for all these expenses 
are a matter of indifference to me.” And such was his 
faith in Allah and in the prayer he had made, that 
Marouf believed every word he said. 

The vizier left him and reported to the sultan, who 
said: “If such be Marouf’s intentions, how can you 
call him a swindler and a falsifier?” Said the vizier, 
“I am of the same opinion still,” for he had not given 
up the idea of marrying the princess himself. Then 
the sultan threatened him and cried, “By the life of my 
head, if you do not take back your words, you shall 
rue it! Return to Marouf and bring him to me, and 
I will settle the matter myself.” So the vizier gave 


MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 39 

Marouf the sultan’s message, and bade him speak to 
the sultan himself. When Marouf came into the 
royal presence the sultan said, “Do not worry about 
your wedding expenses. My treasury is full, and here 
is the key. Take what you need, give away what you 
wish, clothe the poor, and do whatever you please with¬ 
out thinking of my daughter or her slaves. When your 
caravan arrives then you may give her whatever you 
wish. As to her wedding gift, we will wait in patience 
until your caravan comes. There shall not be the 
slightest difference between us.” 

Thereupon the sultan bade the Sheikh-ul-Islam write 
out the marriage contract between his daughter and 
the merchant Marouf, the wedding was announced, 
and the city festively decorated in honor of the event. 
They beat the tambourines, food of every kind was 
passed around, and the jugglers and mountebanks ap¬ 
peared. The merchant Marouf sat on a throne in one 
of the palace halls, and the buffoons, the jugglers, the 
dschink —the Turkish lads disguised as girls who dance 
at public festivities—and the conjurers came to him in 
crowds, while he cried to the treasurer, “Give me gold 
and give me silver!” 

Then he made the rounds of the player-folk and 
their audience, and to each of them he gave a handful 
of gold, distributed presents to the poor and needy who 
watched them perform, and clothed the naked. It was 
a loud and joyous festival, and the treasurer found it 


40 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

hard to bring money from the treasury quickly enough 
for Marouf’s purposes. On the other hand, the vizier’s 
heart nearly burst with rage at the sight, and the mer¬ 
chant Ali, surprised at Marouf’s lavish generosity, said 
to him, “May Allah and his saints protect your scalp- 
lock! Are you not satisfied with throwing away the 
merchants’ money without wasting the sultan’s treas¬ 
ures?” But Marouf replied, “That is none of your 
business. When my caravan arrives I will make every¬ 
thing up to the sultan many times over.” And he went 
on flinging away money, saying to himself, “What are 
the odds! What is destined to happen will happen, 
Allah will not forget me, and at any rate, no one can 
escape his fate!” 

After the festivities had lasted forty days, the wed¬ 
ding procession was formed, preceded by the emirs 
and all the soldiery. And when they had thus in¬ 
augurated the processional, Marouf flung gold over 
the heads of the people, and they followed the splendid 
cortege in crowds. Then, after the emirs had led him 
into the palace where the Princess Saamcheddine sat, 
they went out, letting the hangings drop behind them. 
There Marouf sat him down on a high divan covered 
with rugs, clasped his hands together sadly and cried, 
“There is no power and no strength save in Allah, the 
lofty and elevate!” The Princess Saamcheddine, sur¬ 
prised, said, “My lord, may good fortune be yoursl 
Why are you so sad?” And he answered, “Why should 


MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 41 

I not be sad, when what your father has done to me is 
like the burning-up of the first green growth of the 
grain!” Then the princess inquired, “And what has 
my father done? Tell me.” Said Marouf, “He 
brought us together before my caravan arrived, and I 
had meant to distribute a hundred jewels among your 
slaves, to do you honor. I have no need to be saving 
with jewels, seeing that I have a great quantity of 
them.” But the princess told him not to worry about 
it; it would be time enough to distribute jewels when 
his caravan arrived. 

The next day Marouf sat beside the sultan as he held 
his divan and called the treasurer to him. And when 
the treasurer came he bade him bring from the treas¬ 
ury a rich robe of honor for every emir and dignitary, 
including himself. Then when all were attired in 
their robes of honor, Marouf gave them other gifts in 
keeping with their rank. Thus twenty days went by, 
and still Marouf’s caravan did not arrive. At the end 
of that time the treasurer came to the sultan in Ma¬ 
rouf’s absence, and said to him, “O lord of the ages, 
your treasury is nearly empty, and we will have to close 
it entirely in a few days’ time because it will be alto¬ 
gether empty!” The sultan turned to his vizier: “O 
vizier, my son-in-law’s caravan does not arrive, and he 
gives us no news of it.” Then the vizier laughed and 
answered, “O lord of the ages, may Allah have mercy 
upon you! This deceiver has neither caravan nor any- 


42 


FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


thing else. He has flung away your money, and you 
have married him to your daughter without any pros¬ 
pect of getting it back. How long will you continue 
letting him have his way?” Said the sultan, “Tell me 
how we are to find out the truth?” 

“Ask the Princess Saamcheddine to wheedle it out 
of him,” replied the jealous vizier. So the king bade 
his daughter come to him, and when he had explained 
his troubles she promised to find out how matters really 
stood with Marouf, her husband. 

That evening she said to him, “Tell me, how long 
will you continue to declare that you are a wealthy 
merchant and the master of great riches? All you say 
is ‘My caravan, my caravan!’ Yet your caravan never 
puts in an appearance. If there is no truth in your 
words, tell me so, and I will plan a way for you to 
escape from your difficulties.” 

So Marouf told her that at home, in Cairo, he had 
been no more than a cobbler, a cobbler who could not 
even make a living. He told her his whole history. 
“Yet, as to the caravan,” he added, “Allah will make 
good my words. I prayed him to give it to me, and 
I feel he will answer my prayer. Even now I have 
faith that my caravan will arrive in time to show I 
spoke the truth.” When she heard it, the Princess 
Saamcheddine laughed happily and said, “I am glad 
you are not an out and out falsifier and deceiver, for 
such a man I could not love! Besides, it was owing 


MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 43 

to my father’s greed that he made you his son-in-law. 
The vizier hates you, and if my father finds out that 
you have deceived him, even without intention, he will 
have you executed and that would reflect discredit on 
me. The best thing for you to do is to put on this 
mameluke’s dress, take these fifty thousand dinars of 
my money, mount a blooded steed from the sultan’s 
stables and ride off to some country where my father’s 
power cannot touch you. Settle there as a merchant, 
send me a letter by a courier, and I will despatch what¬ 
ever money I can lay hand on to you. Thus your riches 
will increase, and when my father dies I will send for 
you and you shall return to Khaitan with honor. And 
now make haste, and be on your way before dawn. 
So Marouf promised to obey his wife, dressed himself 
as a mameluke and ordered a groom to bring him a 
blooded steed. This he mounted and rode out of the 
city while it was still dark, and all who saw him 
thought him one of the sultan’s mamelukes, riding on 
an errand. 

In the morning the Princess Saamcheddine went to 
her father and said, “May Allah blacken the face of 
the vizier who has tried to blacken that of my husband! 
Even before I could question Marouf, my husband, 
about his baggage, the eunuch Faradsh came into the 
room with a letter. ‘Ten mamelukes have reined their 
steeds beneath the palace windows, and they gave me 
this letter,’ he cried. They said, ‘We kiss the hands of 


44 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

the merchant Marouf, our master, to whom we beg 
you to deliver this letter! Having heard that he had 
married the sultan’s daughter, we came at once to in¬ 
form him of our adventures.’ So I took the letter 
from Faradsh and read, ‘From his five hundred mame- 
lukes to their highly-born lord, the merchant Marouf: 
We herewith inform you that after you left us our 
caravan was attacked by the Arabs, with whom we 
fought. The Arabs were two thousand in number; we 
were but five hundred mamelukes, and a fierce battle 
took place between us. They tried to cut us off, and 
we were obliged to fight against them for thirty days. 
This is the reason for our delay in arriving. As it is, 
the Arabs have captured two hundred bales of goods 
from us, and slain fifty mamelukes.’ When my hus¬ 
band Marouf read this he cried, ‘May Allah shame 
them! Why did they fight the Arabs for the two hun¬ 
dred bales? What are two hundred bales? They 
should not have lost time on their account, for two hun¬ 
dred bales are worth no more than seven thousand 
dinars! I shall have to ride out to them and hurry 
them along. What the Arabs have taken will never be 
missed from the caravan, and it makes no difference 
whatsoever, for I regard these bales as an alms be¬ 
stowed on them.’ Then he left me, laughing, giving 
not a thought to the loss of his goods. He rode off 
with the mamelukes and—Allah be praised!—I did not 
put the questions you bade me ask, for I am sure he 


MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 45 

would have regarded me with eyes of deprecation, 
and have despised me. And all this is the fault of 
your vizier, who has made unseemly remarks about my 
husband!” For by now the princess herself half- 
believed in Marouf’s caravan and thought, “If Allah 
can make the caravan true why not my own words ?” 

Then the sultan said, “In truth, my daughter, your 
husband has so much money that money means nothing 
to him. Since the day when he came to this country 
he has given alms to the poor, and, Allah willing, his 
caravan will arrive shortly, and he will shower us with 
riches.” Thus he praised his daughter, deceived by 
her cunning, and scolded his vizier. 

In the meantime the merchant Marouf had ridden 
into the desert, not knowing into which land he had 
best pass, bewailing his separation from his wife, weep¬ 
ing bitterly and deploring his fate in verses, for the 
way lay dark before him, and death seemed better to 
him than life unless Allah hastened to answer his 
prayer. And thus he rode on like a man overcome, 
until at noon he reached a small village, near which 
he saw a fellah ploughing with two steers. Tormented 
by hunger, he rode up to the fellah and said, “Peace 
be with you!” And the fellah returned his salaam and 
answered, “Welcome, my lord, and are you one of the 
sultan’s mamelukes?” Marouf replied, “I am.” 
Then the fellah invited him to eat with him. Marouf, 
who saw that the fellah was kind-hearted and liberal, 


46 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

said to him, “My brother, I see nothing to eat, so how 
can I eat with you?” To this the fellah replied, “Dis¬ 
mount, sir, the village is near and I will go and fetch 
the midday meal for you, and fodder for your horse.” 
Marouf replied, “If the village is near, I can get there 
more quickly than yourself and buy what I need to eat 
at the bazaar.” But the fellah shook his head. “My 
lord,” said he, “it is but a small village, it has no bazaar, 
and there is no buying nor selling in it. By Allah, be 
my guest and delight my heart, while I go and return 
quickly 1” 

So Marouf dismounted, and the fellah left him and 
went to the village to fetch the midday meal. Marouf 
had seated himself on the ground to wait, but soon said 
to himself, “I have kept this poor fellow from his work, 
and I will rise and plough for him until he return, in 
order to make up for having sent him away.” So he 
laid hand on the plough and began to drive a furrow, 
goading on the steers when, suddenly, the ploughshare 
struck something and the beasts stopped. He urged 
them on, but as they could make no headway, he ex¬ 
amined the ploughshare and saw that it had caught in 
a ring of gold. 

Marouf freed the ring of earth, and found it was at¬ 
tached to the middle of a block of marble the size of 
a nether millstone. He began to tug at the ring and 
kept on tugging until he at length succeeded in lifting 
the stone from its place, disclosing an opening with a 


47 


MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 

flight of steps leading down to a subterranean chamber. 

Marouf then descended the steps, and found him¬ 
self in a great hall resembling a bath with its four 
liwans, great oblong marble basins, the first filled from 
floor to ceiling with gold; the second full of emeralds, 
pearls and coral; the third of hyacinths, balas rubies 
and turquoises; and the fourth full of diamonds, and 
all kinds of other costly jewels; while in the rear of 
the chamber stood a chest of purest crystal, full of 
priceless gems, each of them the size of a walnut. On 
this crystal chest, moreover, stood a small golden casket, 
no larger than a lemon. 

When Marouf saw this he was surprised, and full of 
joy, asked himself, “Now what does that little golden 
casket contain?” He opened it and found a golden 
seal-ring lying within, on which were graven names 
and talismans, in letters which looked like the tracks 
made by ants. Then he rubbed the ring and behold, a 
voice cried, “At your service! At your service, my 
lord! Wish and your wish shall be granted! Do you 
desire to populate a desert or devastate a city, slay a 
king, dig a river or anything else? Whatever you wish 
shall be done, with the permission of Allah, the King 
of Kings, the Creator of Day and Night!” 

Then Marouf asked, “O thou creature of Allah, what 
and who are you?” 

The djinn answered, “I am the slave of this ring, and 
am at the service of whoever possesses it. Whatever 


48 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

his wish may be, that wish I fulfill, and nothing can 
excuse my neglect of his commands. I am the sultan 
of the auns of the djinni, and my host comprises two- 
and-seventy tribes, each of them with two-and-seventy 
thousand members. Each of these thousands is the ruler 
over a thousand marids, each mand of a thousand auns, 
each aun of a thousand demons, and each demon of a 
thousand djinns. All of them are obedient to my com¬ 
mand, and would not dare disobey me. Yet I am bound 
by the magic power of this ring, and must carry out the 
commands of its possessor. You own it now, and I 
have become your servant. Ask what you will and I 
will obey your order whenever you call upon me, on 
land or at sea. Merely rub the ring, and I will appear 
on the spot. Yet be careful not to rub the ring twice in 
succession, since then the fire of the names which are 
engraved on it would reduce me to ashes, and you would 
regret it. Now you know all there is to know, and 
may peace be with you!” 

“What is your name?” Marouf asked him, and the 
djinn answered, “I am called Abu-Saadat, the Father 
of Joys.” “Then tell me, Abu-Saadat, what is this 
place, and whose magic power bound you to the ring 
in this casket?” 

“This place, O lord, is the place of the buried treasure 
of Ahaddad, the son of Ad, who built Irem, the city of 
pillars, a city such as the world has never yet seen. I 
was his servant during his lifetime, and this ring he laid 


MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 49 

away with his other treasures. Now it has fallen into 
your hands.” Then Marouf inquired, “Could you 
bring everything there is in this buried treasure cham¬ 
ber to the surface of the earth?” And Abu-Saadat 
answered, “That is the easiest thing to do in the world.” 
So Marouf bade him bring the contents of the treasure 
cave to the surface. Abu-Saadat waved his hand, and 
the earth split. He descended into the fissure, and in a 
short time a number of sturdy boys with handsome faces 
began to come out of the rift in the ground, carrying 
baskets filled with gold. After they had emptied 
them on the ground, they went back and returned with 
others; and thus working without pause they were able 
to say, before another hour had passed, “There is noth¬ 
ing left in the treasure chamber.” 

Now Abu-Saadat reappeared and said to Marouf, 
“As you see, lord, we have brought out all that the 
treasure chamber held.” And Marouf asked, “Who 
are these boys?” “Those are my sons,” replied the 
djinn. “It was not necessary to gather the auns for 
this little matter, and so my sons have attended to it, 
deeming themselves honored at being of service to you. 
Now what more do you wish?” 

Marouf reflected a moment, then asked, “Can you 
procure mules and chests for me, pack the treasure in 
the chests and load them on the mules?” “Nothing 
easier,” said the djinn . He uttered a great cry, where¬ 
upon all his sons—there were some eight hundred of 


50 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

them—appeared, and he said to them: “Some of you 
turn yourselves into mules, and others into handsome 
mamelukes, the least mong them more splendid than 
any found in a king’s court! Again others among you 
must turn yourselves into muleteers and servants!” 
And after they had done so he called upon the auns, 
and ordered part of them to assume the shape of horses, 
with golden saddles adorned with gems. When 
Marouf saw this he asked, “But where are the chests?” 
So the chests were brought to him, and he ordered the 
gold and the jewels to be packed separately, each ac¬ 
cording to its kind. When this was done the chests 
were loaded on the three hundred mules, and Marouf 
asked, “O Abu-Saadat, is it possible for you to procure 
bales of costly fabrics for me?” Said the djinn, “Do 
you wish Egyptian, Syrian, Persian, Indian or Greek 
stuffs?” 

“Bring me a hundred loads of the stuffs of every land, 
on a hundred mules,” Marouf answered. 

To this Abu-Saadat replied, “Grant me a little time, 
O lord, so that I may give my auns directions, and order 
each troop to go to a certain land, and return with a 
hundred loads in the shape of mules.” 

“How long a time will you need?” questioned 
Marouf. 

“No more than the dark of a single night,” replied 
the djinn . “Before daybreak all you wish shall be 
here.” 


MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 51 

So Marouf said, “The time you ask is granted you, 
and command the djinn to set up a tent.” When this 
had been done he seated himself beneath it, and a table 
with food was carried in to him, while Abu-Saadat told 
him, “O lord, remain seated in your tent, and my sons 
will watch over you so that you have nothing to fear. 
I must now go and gather my auns and send them off 
to carry out your wishes.” 

Thereupon the djinn disappeared, and Marouf re¬ 
mained seated at the table beneath his tent, surrounded 
by the sons of Abu-Saadat in the shape of mamelukes, 
eunuchs and servants. Suddenly the fellah made his 
appearance with a great dish of lentils, and a nosebag 
full of grain. When he saw the tent which had been 
set up, and the mamelukes standing before it with their 
hands crossed upon their breasts, he thought that the 
sultan himself had come and encamped on the spot. 
He stood there quite dumbfounded, and thought, 
“What a pity I did not kill two pullets and roast them 
for the sultan in butter!” He was about to turn around 
in order to offer them to the sultan, when Marouf saw 
him, and called to him, at the same time ordering his 
mamelukes to bring him into the tent. So they dragged 
him into Marouf’s presence, together with his bowl of 
lentils, and Marouf asked him what they were. 

Said the fellah, “That is your dinner, and the grain 
for your steed. Forgive me, but I never believed the 
sultan would come this way. Had I known it, I should 


52 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

have killed two pullets for him, and entertained him in 
a fitting manner.” But Marouf assured him the sul¬ 
tan had not come. “I am his son-in-law, however,” said 
he, “and he took advantage of me. But now he has 
sent his mamelukes after me, to make up our differences, 
and I am returning to Khaitan. Since you have offered 
me hospitality without knowing me, I will accept it, 
for all that you have are nothing but lentils, and I will 
eat no other dish.” He ordered the bowl to be set in 
the middle of the table, and ate lentils until his hunger 
was satisfied, while the fellah filled himself with the 
most delicious dishes. 

Then Marouf washed his hands, and gave the mame¬ 
lukes permission to eat; and they flung themselves upon 
what remained of the meal and devoured it. When 
the fellah’s bowl was emptied Marouf filled it with 
gold, and said to him, “Take it to your house, and then 
come to me in Khaitan, where I will honor you.” And 
the fellah, driving his steers before him, took the bowl 
full of gold to his native village, almost convinced he 
was the sultan’s son-in-law himself. Marouf, however, 
spent the night in joy and festivity, for the maidens of 
the horte, the djinn maidens who guard the buried 
treasures of earth, came and played their instruments 
of music and danced for him, so that it was a night 
wonderful beyond all that a mortal might expect. 

The following morning, when dawn was breaking, a 
great cloud of dust arose, and when it divided mules 


MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 53 

with their loads appeared, seven hundred of them, sur¬ 
rounded by muleteers, batsmen and torch-bearers, Abu- 
Saadat himself rode at the head of the caravan on a 
white mule as the leader, and before him was carried 
a litter with four uprights of ruddy gold, adorned with 
precious stones. When he reached the tent he dis¬ 
mounted, and after he had kissed the earth at Marouf s 
feet, said, “My lord, your orders have been carried out 
in full, and in the litter is a magnificent robe of honor, 
such as no king can boast! Put it on, seat yourself in 
the litter, and give us your further commands!” For a 
moment Marouf was speechless. Here, at last was the 
caravan for which he had so often prayed. His faith 
had been justified, his prayer had been granted, his 
words had been made true. He cast himself on the 
ground and thanked Allah for his goodness and mercy. 

Then Marouf said to the djinn, “Abu-Saadat, I shall 
now write a letter, which you must take to my uncle, the 
Sultan of Khaitan-el-Khotan.” “I hear and I obey,” 
replied Abu-Saadat. So Marouf wrote the letter and 
sealed it, and Abu-Saadat carried it to the sultan. The 
latter was talking to his vizier: “My heart is grieved 
for my son-in-law,” said he, “and I fear he has been 
slain by the Arabs. If only I knew which way he had 
gone, I would follow him with my soldiers. Alas, 
why did he not tell me he was going!” 

The vizier replied, “Allah be merciful to you in 
view of your blind confidence! By the life of my 


54 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

soul, the fellow had begun to notice that we mistrusted 
him, and has disappeared because he was afraid of 
being found out. He was nothing but a cheat and falsi¬ 
fier;’ 

At that moment Abu-Saadat entered in the guise of a 
courier, and kissed the ground at the sultan’s feet, wish¬ 
ing him long life, fame and fortune through eternal 
years. Said the sultan, “Who are you and what is your 
wish?” Abu-Saadat replied, “I am a courier sent on 
in advance with a letter, by your son-in-law, who is fol¬ 
lowing with his caravan. Here it is.” The sultan 
took it and read: “I prostrate myself at the feet of my 
uncle, the mighty Sultan of Khaitan. I have arrived 
with the caravan, therefore pray send soldiers to meet 
me.” The sultan turned to the vizier: “May Allah 
blacken your face, O vizier!” he cried. “How often 
do you intend to attack my son-in-law’s honor, and call 
him a fraud and a cheat? Now he has arrived with 
the caravan and you are no more than a traitor.” 

The vizier hung his head in shame and answered, 
“O king of the ages, I only spoke as I did because the 
caravan did not appear, and I feared the moneys you 
had spent would be lost!” To which the sultan re¬ 
turned, “Of what account are the moneys? Now that 
his caravan has arrived, he will return me double the 
amount.” Then the sultan commanded that the city be 
splendidly decorated, and going to his daughter said 
to her: “I have good news. Your husband will arrive 


MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 55 

shortly with his caravan, so he tells me in this letter, and 
I am going out to meet him.” The Princess Saamched- 
dine was much surprised, and thought to herself, “How 
very strange! And yet, nothing is beyond Allah’s 
power to do. He has granted my husband’s prayer. 
The Prophet be praised, I did not fail in my duty to 
Marouf, at all events!” 

When Ali, the Egyptian merchant, saw that the city 
was hung and garlanded in festival array, he asked the 
reason and was told, “The caravan of Marouf, the sul¬ 
tan’s son-in-law, has arrived!” And he cried out 
“Allah is great! What can it mean? He came to me 
as a beggar, where could he have found a caravan? 
Perhaps it is a trick on the part of the princess, to save' 
him from shame. May Allah guard and protect him!” 
All the other merchants were happy, because now their 
money would be returned to them. While the sultan 
set forth with his soldiers Abu-Saadat hurried back 
to Marouf, and informed him that he had delivered the 
letter. And Marouf answered, “Then load the 
beasts.” 

The beasts were loaded and, putting on his gorgeous 
robe of honor, Marouf leaned back in the litter, looking 
a thousand times more powerful and majestic than the 
sultan himself. And when the caravan had covered 
half of the way to Khaitan-el-Khotan, it met the sultan 
and his mamelukes. The sultan, when he caught sight 
of Marouf in his litter, rushed forward and greeted 


56 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


him, as did all the dignitaries, and it was plain to all 
that Marouf had spoken the truth and nothing but the 
truth. 

Magnificently escorted, Marouf reentered the city, at 
the head of his caravan, with banners flying and drums 
and trumpets sounding. The merchants of Khaitan, 
Ali at their head, hastened to kiss his feet and congratu¬ 
late him. Marouf laughed, and entering the royal pal¬ 
ace and seating himself on the throne he said: “Place 
the loads of gold in the treasury of the sultan, my uncle, 
and bring the loads of stuffs hither!” And when they 
had done so, he had the seven hundred bales unpacked 
before him. After he had made choice of the best and 
richest among the fabrics, he ordered them to be taken 
to the Princess Saamcheddine, together with a casket of 
jewels to be distributed among her slaves. Then he 
gave the merchants whom he owed rich stuffs, to the 
amount of two thousand dinars for every one thousand 
they had lent him, and made huge gifts to the poor, 
without the sultan daring to say a word, until all seven 
hundred loads had been given away. 

And then he turned to the mamelukes and soldiers, 
and began to distribute jewels, among them emeralds, 
hyacinths, pearls, corals and other gems, giving them 
away by the fistful, without counting, so that the king 
finally said, “O my son, have you not given away 
enough? There are but few of your bales left.” To 
which Marouf replied, “I have a great quantity.” 


MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO 57 

And, since by his faith in Allah, he already had 
proved the truth of his words, none ventured to contra¬ 
dict him. Now the treasurer came back and cried, 
“O king of the ages, the treasury is full! Where am I 
to put the rest of the gold and jewels?” And the king 
directed that other rooms be used. 

Then Marouf went to his wife, and she asked him 
whether he had wished to test her loyalty or had merely 
been playing a joke on her. And Marouf answered, 
“I wished to test you, and see whether you really cared 
for me, or whether you only cared for what earthly 
goods I might possesss. I knew in my soul that Allah 
would send my caravan in his own good time. Now I 
know that your affection is real, and realize your 
worth.” And the jewels and robes he gave her for 
herself and her household to show his gratitude 
were so splendid that the Princess Saamcheddine 
appeared among her slaves like the moon amid the 
stars. 

Marouf had some further adventures with the magic 
ring of Shaddad, the son of Ad, but they are another 
story. Suffice to say, that ever after his baggage had 
arrived, Marouf, once the cobbler of Cairo, but now 
the Prince of Khaitan-el-Khotan, lived long and hap¬ 
pily with the beautiful Princess Saamcheddine, honored 
by his father-in-law, beloved by the people, and adored 
by the soldiery. And whenever, in reply to a question, 
he said, “I have quantities of it!” no one doubted his 



58 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

word, for had not his caravan arrived? As for the 
hateful vizier, he received the bastinado, and was exiled 
from the kingdom, and seeing that there was no one 
who regretted his going, his absence was not mourned. 










THE EYES OF KANOULA 


(A Hindoo Legend) 

O NCE upon a time a powerful king named Asoka 
ruled in India. He was kind and charitable and 
built hospitals and planted gardens for man and beast. 
He had wells dug for the use of travellers and cattle, 
and planted fruit-trees and health-giving plants along 
the highways of his kingdom. 

Now the king’s oldest son had eyes as kind and beau¬ 
tiful as those of the Kanoula bird, which feeds on moon¬ 
beams, and so he was named Kanoula. Asoka had 
loved Padmavati, Kanoula’s mother, greatly but she 
had passed to Indra’s paradise while she was still young. 
Before she went she said to King Asoka: 

“When I am gone, another queen will take my place, 
and it may be that you will think more of her children 
than of my son. Promise me that you will continue to 
watch over him and cherish him as a father should.” 
And Asoka answered, “I promise you that Kanoula 
shall always be dear to me, and that he only shall suc¬ 
ceed me in the kingdom.” And when she heard these 
words Padmavati was content, and took her way to the 
glorious gardens of Indra untroubled. 

* * * * * 


59 


6 o FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


Kanoula was worthy of his father’s confidence and 
affection. Kind, modest and gentle, every one became 
fond of him. In course of time he married a lovely 
maiden, Madhavi, whose only thought was to please 
him in all things. 

Unfortunately, after Padmavati had gone, Asoka 
chose for his queen an ambitious woman named Siddhi. 
And Siddhi, when the gods gave her a son, wished with 
all her heart and soul that he might inherit Asoka’s 
kingdom instead of Kanoula. Without showing it, she 
began to cherish a violent hatred for the prince. Now 
it happened that King Asoka fell ill, and Queen Siddhi 
was able to restore him to health by the use of magic 
powers—so it was said—of which she had the secret. 
And, as a reward for this service, she asked the king to 
make her little son the heir to the crown. Asoka was 
grieved to have to refuse her request, and told her that 
he was bound by his promise to Padmavati. 

“I can give up my kingdom,” said he, “but I cannot 
break my promise.” So then Queen Siddhi demanded 
of him that he give over to her his kingly power for a 
single day, a day which she would fix herself. And 
this King Asoka consented to do. The day was to ar¬ 
rive all too soon when Siddhi would use the power 
promised her in a terrible way. 

# * * * * 

There was a city in King Asoka’s land called Taxi- 
cola, which had revolted against the king’s officials. 


THE EYES OF KANOULA 


61 


Siddhi herself had been the secret cause of this revolt. 
First she had caused the king’s officials to burden the 
city with excessive taxes; and then she had encouraged 
the citizens to rise against the royal tax-collectors. 
Finally the queen’s agents persuaded the inhabitants of 
the city to send a deputation to King Asoka, to beg for 
the presence of his son Kanoula, that he might give 
them juster laws, and bring back peace to their town. 

On the morning of the day when this deputation was 
expected to bow before King Asoka, Siddhi begged him 
to give her the ivory seal with which he sealed all his 
orders, as he had promised. This the king did, and 
thus Siddhi was invested with the royal power for the 
whole day, according to Asoka’s promise. 

And when the deputation from Taxicola had made 
its request, Siddhi replied that in fact only Prince Ka- 
noula, whom the people worshipped, could bring back 
the city to obedience without violence. And when she 
said this King Asoka’s mind was troubled, for he began 
to suspect some evil design on her part. 

Would he not be exposing Kanoula to the greatest 
dangers by sending him to a city in revolt? When he 
expressed this fear, the queen, pretending to be deeply 
grieved, declared that since her husband seemed to dis¬ 
trust her, she would not say a word with regard to what 
should be done. Then, certain that Asoka would not 
take it back, she offered to return the royal seal. And 
Asoka, in fact, because he had given his word, allowed 


62 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


Siddhi to keep the seal, and at Kanoula’s own request, 
consented to let him go to Taxicola. But, at least, he 
wished an army to be assembled to accompany him. 
This the young prince did not wish. To avoid blood¬ 
shed in a city in revolt quick action should be taken, he 
said, and it costs time to gather an army. 

“Besides,” he added, “will the sight of a great multi¬ 
tude in arms, the neighing of horses, the cries of the 
elephants, the rumble of chariots, the sound of drums 
and trumpets incline the rebels to peace?” 

Asoka said no more. Kanoula bade him farewell; 
took an affectionate leave of Madhavi, his young wife, 
consoling her as best he was able, and then, leaping on 
his steed Mandala, whose gallop was swifter than th£ 
course of the clouds in the sky, set out alone on his 
journey. Yet behind him, and without suspecting it, 
there galloped a horseman sent by Queen Siddhi, a man 
entirely devoted to her, who carried an order sealed 
with the royal seal. To the gallop of his white steed the 
young prince ate up the miles which lay between him 
and Taxicola. At either hand as he rode, the villages 
hidden among the champak- trees, the hills and stream¬ 
lets, the fields of rice and the distant blue line of the 
forests swept by. Yet the news of his coming had gone 
before, and the inhabitants of the city, having decorated 
their houses with banners and garlands, advanced to 
meet him. Some flung flowers along the way, others 
carried vases full of offerings, and all made the air re- 


THE EYES OF KANOULA 


63 


sound with their acclamations. They begged the 
prince to hear their complaints, telling him that they 
had not revolted against the king, but against the un¬ 
worthy officials who had plundered and insulted them. 
Kanoula, having listened to them with kindness,'prom¬ 
ised to treat them justly, and entered the city to the 
sound of musical instruments. 

When the prince had lowered the taxes, and put in 
new officials to take the place of the old, the inhabitants 
of Taxicola sent messengers to King Asoka to assure 
him of their obedience, and to bless the prince who had 
brought them peace. The whole town was given over 
to rejoicing when, toward evening, the other horseman 
arrived, bearing a royal message, which he presented 
to the leading men of the city. They read it with 
horror, for the message, sealed with the royal seal, bade 
them put out the eyes of Kanoula, who was described as 
the king’s worst enemy and the shame of his race. 
When the order was carried out, not a man in the town 
was to raise a finger to aid the prince, and it was for¬ 
bidden to mention his name for all time. 

* •**•* * 

Not daring to inform Kanoula, whose virtues had 
won their hearts, of the inhuman command which they 
thought had been sent them by the king, the leading 
men of Taxicola passed a night of cruel anxiety. 
Finally, they said to each other, “What will become of 
us, if we do not obey? Is it likely that the man who 


64 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

could show such hatred for his own son, against a prince 
whose sole desire is the good of all men, will spare 
us?” 

The following morning they handed the royal letter 
to Kanoula who, having read it, said, “This message 
deserves to be obeyed, for it is sealed with the king’s 
seal. Do what it bids you do.” 

The young prince did not for a moment believe that 
his father had given this cruel order to deprive him of 
his sight; but suspected that it came from the queen. 
Yet he felt that he ought to obey the king’s command, 
even though the royal power had been given over to 
Siddhi for a day. 

The order was to be carried out in the great square in 
the middle of the city, and the news soon spread among 
the people. The executioners were sent for and were 
commanded to deprive Kanoula of his eyes. Raising 
their hands as a sign of respect, however, they all cried: 

“None of us would dare do this!” 

The prince unrolled the turban, starred with the 
richest jewels, which covered his head, and offering it 
to the executioners said to them, 

“Do your duty and this shall be yours!” 

But still they refused. At last a deformed and dis¬ 
figured wretch with a repulsive face came forward and 
offered to take the place of the executioners. He did 
not, however, dare strike out Kanoula’s eyes. Instead, 
he lit a great fire in the square, and heated an iron red- 


THE EYES OF KANOULA 


65 

hot. Then, drawing near the prince, who remained 
as calm as a wave in the ocean depths, he passed it be¬ 
fore Kanoula’s eyes—and they became sightless—while 
the thousands who filled the square sobbed with 
emotion. 

When the executioner had done his duty, Kanoula 
supported himself by laying one hand on his shoulder, 
while he raised the other as a sign that he wished to 
speak. A great silence fell, and the prince begged the 
people to withdraw, not to seek to aid him and never 
to speak his name, as King Asoka had commanded. 
Then all withdrew, weeping, and Kanoula, at the end 
of his strength, sank to the earth. Soon, however, 
goaded by the burning rays of the sun, he dragged him¬ 
self along on hands and knees until he felt the cool 
freshness of shadow, and fell down in the shade of a 
clump of giant bamboos. 

* * * * * 

For hours nothing stirred round about him. All 
was silence and solitude. Suddenly, however, he 
heard a nicker near his head, and realized that his steed 
Mandala had sought him out, and was neighing sor¬ 
rowfully. 

“You, too, Mandala, must abandon your master! 
Leave him, and go wherever your instinct may guide 
you!” 

Then Mandala, after having circiea around the 
prince several times, finally left him, and, avoiding Taxi- 


66 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


cola, sad and alone, he galloped back along the road he 
had followed so joyfully the day before. 

When the sun had set many of the inhabitants of the 
city, who, for all Kanoula had forbidden it, wished to 
help him, appeared in the grove where he lay. As 
silent as shadows, they looked at one another with sus¬ 
picion, and did not dare go near the blind man. At 
last a poor old woman drew near, washed his wounds 
with fresh water and bandaged them with cooling herbs. 
Then, having gently induced him to rise, she led him 
beyond the gates, to the outskirts of the next village, 
and sighing, took the road back to the city alone. 

In the meantime the messengers sent from Taxicola 
had been received by the king with much favor. They 
had reported with what demonstrations of affection 
Prince Kanoula had been received, and at the news 
Madhavi’s heart had been comforted. 

During the following days, while she awaited Kanou- 
la’s return with impatience, she went every morning to 
the clump of trees where they had said farewell. On 
the third morning, she suddenly saw a cloud of dust 
draw near, and out of it came Mandala, without a rider. 
A terrible thought flashed through poor Madhavi’s 
mind, and like a young tree felled by the woodman she 
sank unconscious to the ground. 

***** 

When her senses returned Madhavi, in her grief, felt 
sure that Kanoula must have perished, a victim of the 


THE EYES OF KANOULA 


6 7 

revolt. Yet was there not some hope that he might 
have escaped with his life? Should she not set out at 
once to find him, and not rest until she was sure that he 
was indeed lost to her? 

Without wasting a moment, she returned to the pal¬ 
ace, took off her costly garments and jewels, and put on 
the simple dress of a laborer’s wife. Then she hurried 
away, without taking leave of King Asoka, for she 
feared that his love for her might lead him to prevent 
her going. 

Alone and on foot, she began the long and toilsome 
journey to Taxicola, asking everywhere along the road 
for news of Prince Kanoula. For many days she strug¬ 
gled on, without hearing any news of her husband. 

One morning, after she had left a poor hut in which 
she had been hospitably received, she questioned a la¬ 
borer who was sowing his field. This man told her 
that at daybreak, when going to his work, he had 
noticed in a little grove nearby, a blind young man, in 
princely dress, to whom he had given some wild fruits 
and a drink of fresh water. 

Madhavi hurried to the little grove. When she saw 
Kanoula quite alone, sitting on a rock, his sorrowful 
face no longer radiant with the light of his beautiful 
eyes, she burst into tears, and knelt at his feet, incapable 
of saying a single word. And as she covered his hands 
with tears and kisses, Kanoula felt—for he could not 
see—the. presence of Madhavi, and was moved to the 



68 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


depth of his soul. It seemed almost too good to be 
true. Finally, when he spoke and she answered, he 
recognized his wife’s sweet voice, and begged her to 
sit beside him. Both of them, in their misfortune, felt 
a profound joy at once more being together, and know¬ 
ing how greatly they loved each other. 

After Kanoula had told Madhavi all that had hap¬ 
pened to him, they rose, and the young wife tenderly 
guiding the blind man’s steps, set forth to present them¬ 
selves before the king. 

* * * * * 

When he was informed that the steed Mandala had 
returned without his master, and that Madhavi had 
disappeared, King Asoka was seized with the most 
cruel anxiety. He at once sent messengers to Taxicola 
to bring him news of the prince, and they were also 
commanded to look for Madhavi. 

When the leading men of the city learned that the 
king was filled with anxiety with regard to his son, they 
realized that they had been tricked by the supposed 
royal message sent to them. 

Fearing a terrible punishment, they concealed the 
truth from the king’s messengers. The prince, so they 
said, had wished to return alone as he had come. The 
inhabitants who were questioned did not dare to tell of 
Kanoula’s blinding, for all were weighed down with 
the horror of the crime which had been done. The 
messengers returned, suspecting something was wrong, 


THE EYES OF KANOULA 


69 


but without having been able to discover what had 
taken place. In vain they searched the countryside, 
and at last returned to their master without news of 
either Kanoula or Madhavi. 

■5|> ^ 

Yet the blind prince, having exchanged his costly 
garments for a beggar’s dress—robes glittering with 
gold and jewels were not in keeping with his unfor¬ 
tunate condition—was slowly making his way, together 
with his wife, toward the capital of the kingdom. 
When they passed through a village both sang with 
voices so pure and sweet that the inhabitants, moved to 
compassion, divided their food with them. 

At length they reached the end of their journey, and 
tried to enter the presence of King Asoka. But they 
were stopped by the guards of the palace, who did not 
recognize them. Both Kanoula and Madhavi were 
poorly clad and covered with dust, night was falling, 
and Kanoula’s face was no longer illumined by his 
wonderful eyes. Notwithstanding, the guards, pitying 
them, let them take refuge in the stable-room where the 
king’s chariots were kept. There the travellers, worn 
out with fatigue, fell asleep. 

The next morning, while the king was thinking sadly 
of his son, he heard a voice which made him tremble. 
It was Kanoula, singing in the stable where the chariots 
were kept. Asoka recognized his voice, yet feared he 
might be mistaken. Violently moved, he demanded to 


70 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

know who was singing, and was told that it was a blind 
beggar, travelling with his wife. More and more 
troubled, King Asoka had them brought before him. 
For a moment he did not recognize his son in beggar’s 
rags, but Kanoula’s face, even though his eyes were 
sightless, had not lost that profound sweetness no other 
possessed. The father’s heart was not to be deceived. 
Besides, though she was so simply dressed, the woman 
evidently was Madhavi. After having examined both, 
the king went to Kanoula, and trembling, drew him 
into his arms and embraced him. 

After having given rein to his grief in sighs and tears, 
he questioned the prince and learned the reason of his 
misfortune. At once King Asoka fell into a violent 
rage. 

“Who,” cried he, “could have misused my royal seal 
to commit such a crime?” 

Kanoula kept silence. He did not wish to accuse 
Queen Siddhi, but Madhavi reminded the king that 
Siddhi had had the royal seal in her possession for an 
entire day. Already King Asoka had been suspicious. 
Siddhi ardently wished her own son to succeed him on 
the throne. Might she not have had Kanoula blinded? 
The king had repulsed this horrible suspicion, but now 
he could no longer doubt that the queen was guilty. 
He sent for her at once. 

Ever since her messenger had reported that her sav¬ 
age order had been carried out, Queen Siddhi had 


THE EYES OF KANOULA 


7 i 


passed sleepless nights. And when by chance she did 
fall asleep, it was only to behold, in hideous nightmares, 
visions of Kanoula’s sufferings. Then she would 
awake, screaming, and thinking with terror that her 
crime might be discovered from day to day. She felt 
as though the glances of the king, of the court officials, 
of her servants, of the whole people, could read to the 
bottom of her heart. 

When King Asoka’s order reached her, she knew that 
her guilt had been discovered, and came into his pres¬ 
ence like one who has been condemned. At the sight 
of the blind young prince she was filled with horror 
at what she had done. She wished to express her re¬ 
pentance, yet unable to speak, she flung herself down 
on her knees, and with bowed head awaited the king’s 
sentence. 

No confession could have been clearer. King Asoka, 
mad with rage, cried out that she should be tortured 
before being put to death. But Kanoula begged his 
father to be merciful. And when the king rejected 
his prayer Kanoula said to him: 

“O my father! This woman before you is not the 
only guilty one. What has befallen me is the conse¬ 
quence of an act I committed in one of my previous 
existences on earth. For a long time I have tried to re¬ 
call what I had done to merit my present misfortune. 
Last night, while I slept, it was revealed to me in a 
dream.” 


72 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

“What wrong action could you have committed, my 
son?” asked the king, “what could you have done, who 
are the best of men?” 

“In days gone by,” replied Kanoula, “there was a 
huntsman who went into the mountains to chase savage 
beasts. One day he surprised a herd of fifty gazelles in 
a cavern, and captured them all by means of a net.” 
And then he thought: Tf I kill them, I will not know 
what to do with all the meat. But if I deprive them of 
their sight, they will not be able to escape, and I can 
easily lead them back to the city.’ Then, without pity 
for these gentle creatures, who gazed at him pleadingly, 
he deprived them of their sight. I was that huntsman, 
O my father, and now I am atoning for the deed I did! 
So you see Siddhi is no more guilty than I am. Do not 
shed her blood!” 

And while King Asoka hesitated, moved by his son’s 
words, yet not knowing whether he should believe them 
or not, Kanoula suddenly cried: 

“If I have told the truth, then let the truth come to 
my aid! Let a miracle take place! Let my eyes once 
more become as they were!” 

And that very moment his sight was restored. He 
turned his glorious eyes, full of radiant light, and 
looked first at the king, and then at Madhavi, both of 
whom were overjoyed at seeing him restored to his 
former self. And King Asoka, giving up the thought 
of vengeance, let the words of pardon fall from his 


THE EYES OF KANOULA 


73 


lips. Siddhi was sent to a solitary place to meditate 
upon her fault, and King Asoka, together with Prince 
Kanoula and the gentle Madhavi, whom he kept ever 
near him, continued to reign in justice over his people. 



THE WHITE BIRD 


(A Kalmuck Tale) 


GES ago, in the pleasant pasture land known as 



the Fair Flowergarden, there dwelt a man of the 
horde who had three daughters and a great herd 
of goats. And each day one of the three daughters 
minded the herd in her turn. 

One day, when it was the oldest sister’s turn to mind 
the herd, she fell asleep during the heat of the mid¬ 
day hour, and when she woke found that one of the 
goats was missing. So she set out to look for it, and 
as she was wandering about she came to a rock in which 
was set a great red door. She opened the door, and 
entered a little passage at the end of which was an¬ 
other door of shining gold. And when she had opened, 
this door, lo and behold, there was a third door of glit¬ 
tering mother-of-pearl! This door, too, she opened, 
and found a fourth door of emerald. And the emerald 
door gave entrance to a palace so filled with gold and 
precious stones that it dazzled the eyes. She wan¬ 
dered through the whole palace, but there was no liv¬ 
ing creature in it save in one lofty hall. There, on a 
costly table, sat a beautiful White Bird on a jewelled 
perch in a golden cage. 


74 


THE WHITE BIRD 


75 


When the White Bird saw the maiden, it said to her, 
“Maiden, how is it you have come to this place?” And 
she told him, “One of my father’s goats is missing from 
the herd. I have been looking for it everywhere, for 
I dare not go home without it. And that is how I came 
here.” Said the White Bird, “If you will promise to 
be my bride, I will not only tell you where the lost 
goat is, but will restore it to you as well. But if you 
refuse, the goat will be lost to your father’s herd for¬ 
ever.” 

Then the maiden laughed and said, “How could I 
agree to become the bride of a bird? If I must marry 
you to find my father’s goat then it will have to stay 
lost forever.” And with that she went her way, weep¬ 
ing because of the goat she had lost. 

The next day when the second sister minded the herd, 
another goat escaped, and she in turn went in search of 
it. She, too, came to the red door in the rock, and 
passing through the other doors into the palace, found 
the White Bird sitting in his golden cage in the great 
hall. And like her sister she also refused to become 
his bride, and returned weeping to her home like her 
sister. 

On the third day the youngest sister went out with 
the goats, and again a goat strayed from the herd. She, 
too, found her way to the palace in the rock and saw 
the White Bird. But when he asked her to become his 
bride, she said (for she was a bright girl, and suspected 


76 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


that he might be a hero held captive in the palace in the 
rock by magic spells): “You are white, O Bird, the 
color of truth! So I will agree to become your bride 
after six months have gone by, if you will restore the 
goat which is lost to me.” And the White Bird said, 
“Go back to your herd, and you will find the lost 
goat grazing with the rest.” And so it was, and 
the third sister returned home laughing instead of 
crying. 

Soon after this there was a great gathering of the 
horde at a neighboring temple, with games and contests 
of skill which lasted thirteen days. And it turned out 
that among all the maidens of the horde the girl who 
had promised to become the White Bird’s bride was the 
most beautiful. And among the men the one who was 
superior in horsemanship, archery and feats of strength 
was a mighty rider who rode a dappled grey horse. 
When he had circled the whole assembly three times 
with the fleetness of the wind, and then ridden off, 
nothing was talked about but his horsemanship, his 
strength, and his skill. 

The next day, the maiden went to the palace in the 
rock to visit the White Bird, and the latter said to her, 
“Tell me who was the most beautiful maiden, and who 
was the mightiest horseman among the men and women 
of the horde at the festival?” And she said, “Among 
the men a stranger who rode a dappled grey steed was 
the mightiest horseman, and among the maidens I was 


THE WHITE BIRD 


77 

the most beautiful.” To this the White Bird returned 
no answer. 

And thus it went on every day of the festival. There 
was neither man nor maiden of the horde who could 
compete with the girl who had promised to become the 
White Bird’s bride, and the stranger who rode the dap¬ 
pled grey horse. 

On the twelfth day, when the girl was at the festival, 
she happened to sit next to an old, old woman. And 
when the old woman asked her which maiden of the 
horde had been declared the most beautiful, and which 
man the greatest horseman, she told her that she herself 
was the woman and the stranger who rode the dappled 
grey steed the man. “Could I become the wife of such 
a man,” she added, “I would have nothing more to wish 
for all the days of my life I” Said the ancient woman, 
“And why can you not have such a man for your hus¬ 
band?” Then the tears came to the girl’s eyes, and 
she answered, “I have already promised to become the 
bride of a White Bird.” The old woman, who was 
very wise and knew many things, replied, “You can win 
the stranger for your husband, and still keep your 
promise to the White Bird, if you will do exactly as I 
say. To-morrow is the thirteenth and last day of the 
festival. When the time comes for you to go, you must 
only pretend to set out. But instead of taking the way 
to the temple, you must go to the palace in the rock and 
hide behind the emerald door. The White Bird, who 


78 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


will not know you are there, will leave his jewelled, 
perch, turn into a man, saddle his dappled grey horse 
and ride to the festival as usual. Then you must come 
out of your hiding-place, burn his perch, his cage and 
the white feathers lying on the table. When you have 
done this, he will be released from his enchantment, 
and will be a man and not a bird.” 

The next day the girl who had promised to become 
the White Bird’s bride did exactly as the old woman 
had told her. And when she had burned the White 
Bird’s perch, his cage and his beautiful feathers, she 
longed for his return, and hid behind a pillar where she 
could see him coming a long ways off. At last, when 
the sun was sinking red below the horizon, he rode up 
on his dappled grey horse. 

“What does this mean?” he asked, when he saw her. 
“You must have left the festival before I did.” “Yes,” 
she answered, “I was the first to get here.” And when 
he entered the palace the next thing he said was, 
“Where is my perch, where is my cage, where are my 
feathers?” Said the maiden, “I have burned them all 
in the fire, so that you might be released from your en¬ 
chantment, and once more be a man among other men.” 

But the man who had been the White Bird cried, 
“Alas, do you know what you have done! In that cage 
which you have burned I had left not only my feathers, 
but my soul as well. And now I am in worse case than 
I was before.” 


THE WHITE BIRD 


79 


When she heard this the maiden wept bitterly, and 
pleaded with him to tell her how she could make up for 
the harm she had done. “Is there no way in which I 
can restore the soul you have lost?” she asked him. 
“There is nothing I would not suffer and endure in 
order to give back your soul to you.” 

Then the man who had been the White Bird said, 
“There is one way and only one in which you may save 
me. To-night the demons will come to fetch me be¬ 
cause I have lost my soul. Yet, I can struggle with 
them for seven days and seven nights without interrup¬ 
tion and drive them off in the end, if you help me. 
While I am struggling with them you must take a stick 
and beat against the mother-of-pearl door with it. If 
by the end of the seventh night you have beaten your 
way through the door, then I will be freed from the 
power of the demons. But if you grow weary, and 
cease beating the mother-of-pearl door for a single in¬ 
stant, then the demons will carry me far away, and I 
will be lost to you.” 

So the maiden hunted up little motes of feather-grass 
and with them propped up her eyelids so that she could 
not fall asleep. Then seizing the stick the man who 
had been the White Bird gave her, she set to work at 
nightfall to beat against the mother-of-pearl door. She 
beat and beat and beat, never growing weary, for seven 
days and seven nights. But toward the end of the 
seventh night, the motes of feather-grass fell out of one 


8 o FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


of her eyes. She could not keep her eye from closing 
for an instant, and in that instant the demons seized the 
man who had been the White Bird and had lost his soul, 
and carried him off. 

The maiden mourned and grieved and would not be 
consoled. She left the pleasant land of the Fair 
Flowergarden to look for him in the four corners of 
the universe, and wherever she wandered she cried, “O 
you who were once a White Bird and are now the man 
whom I love, where are you?” She wandered long 
and she wandered far, over mountain and valley, 
through deserts and fertile plains. At last, one day, as 
she went her way, calling out to him as usual, his voice 
answered her from the top of a high mountain. She 
was overjoyed, and climbed up its steep side. When 
she reached the top, however, she heard his voice again, 
and this time it sounded from the foot of the mountain, 
beside a stream which flowed there. So she clambered 
down the mountain and found him at last beside a 
sacred Obo, one of the great heaps of stone raised to the 
gods by the wayside. There he sat, looking worn and 
weary, with a great bundle of old boots on his back, as 
many as he could carry. 

When they met he said, “Now my heart is glad 
within me because we have met. The demons have 
made me their water carrier. Toiling up and down, 
from river to mountain-top and back again, I have 
worn out all these boots you see slung across my back.” 



There he sat, looking worn and weary, with a great bundle of 
old boots on his back 



































THE WHITE BIRD 


And filled with love and pity the maiden cried, “Tell 
me, O man whom I love, is there nothing I can do to 
deliver you out of bondage?” Then the man who had 
been the White Bird said, “O most faithful of women, 
there is but one thing and only one to do. You must 
return to the palace in the rock, and there build another 
cage, with a jewelled perch like the one that was 
burned. And when you have built the cage, you must 
woo my wandering soul back into it. You must call 
and you must coax it back to the place in which it 
dwelt. The moment my soul returns to the cage, I 
myself must return to the place where my soul awaits 
me. Neither gods nor demons then can hold me back.” 

Then the maiden returned to the pleasant land of the 
Fair Flowergarden with a happy heart. In the palace 
in the rock she built a cage exactly like the one she had 
burned, and wooed the soul of the man who had been 
the White Bird back into it. And the moment his soul 
entered the cage, lo and behold, the man whom she 
loved was delivered out of the power of the demons, 
and stood before her, his face radiant with joy! And 
then the man who had been a White Bird and the 
maiden who had promised to become his bride were 
married amid great rejoicings, and thereafter lived 
happily in their splendid palace in the rock, filled 
with gold and precious stones. 


THE GARDENS OF IREM 


(A Persian Tale) 

TN the days of the blessed Solomon, there reigned in 
Egypt a sultan named Assaf bin Safvane. One day 
he ordered his treasurer to make ready fifty bags of 
musk, fifty black-eyed camels laden with gold and sil¬ 
ver, a sealed bag of pearls and seven bags of jewels so 
bright that they made the night radiant, as well as a 
hundred male and female slaves. When all was pre¬ 
pared, he sent his ambassadors out with this caravan 
and an escort of soldiers to the kingdom of Yemen, to 
ask for the hand of the king’s daughter. 

When the King of Yemen first saw the dust of the 
caravan on the horizon he thought that strangers had 
invaded his kingdom. But after the ambassadors of 
the Sultan Assaf had presented their gifts, he enter¬ 
tained them royally, and agreed to give the Egyptian 
sultan his daughter in marriage, together with a wed¬ 
ding portion of three files of camels laden with bro¬ 
cades of Egypt and Byzantium and collars of pearls, as 
well as fifty Greek and Chinese slaves. When they 
reached Cairo, Sultan Assaf rode forth to meet them 
at the head of his viziers and emirs, and the wedding 
was celebrated with great pomp and festivity. 

82 


THE GARDENS OF IREM 83 

) 

In the course of time Allah blessed the Sultan Assaf 
with a son, who was given the name of Seif al Moulouk. 
By the time he had reached the age of fourteen the 
young prince already was versed in every art. He 
could recite from the Koran with grace and dignity, 
and draw the bow and handle lance and sword with the 
skill of an experienced warrior. When he was twenty- 
one, he was a mirror of accomplishment. One day his 
father sent for him and had a certain coffer brought 
from his treasury. Opening it and drawing forth a 
brocaded robe and a ruby ring he gave them to the 
prince, saying, “These were sent me by the great Sultan 
Solomon as a gift, and now I bestow them on you.” 
Prince Seif was greatly pleased, thanked his father and 
returned to his own apartment with the gifts. 

And there, when he examined the brocaded robe 
more closely, he saw that on its inner side was em¬ 
broidered the image of a young maiden as beautiful as 
the new moon. So beautiful was she, in fact, that Seif’s 
whole heart went out to her. Then, suddenly, he 
realized that he did not know who the original of the 
picture image might be. He did not even know 
whether it represented a living person, or was only a 
work of the imagination. He was so overcome by the 
thought that he fell in a profound melancholy, from 
which he could not be roused. 

At last, seeing that Seif did nothing but sigh and 
grieve, that he refused nourishment and would not 


84 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

speak when spoken to, the Sultan Assaf was informed 
of his condition. He went to his son’s apartment and 
said, “What weighs upon your heart, my son? Let 
me know what you desire and you shall have it, even 
though it cost me the half of my kingdom!” Prince 
Seif was moved by his father’s affection, and with many 
tears told him that he had fallen in love with the beau¬ 
tiful image woven into the brocaded robe, and that in 
his despair of ever finding out who the original might 
be, he had lost all interest in life. 

“My son,” said the Sultan Assaf, “the original of 
yonder image really exists. Some years ago, as I 
looked out of my palace window, I saw a cloud of dust 
rise on the skyline. When it disappeared, seven peris, 
descendants of the disobedient angels, who dwell in the 
sandal groves lying beyond the uttermost ends of the 
earth, stood before my throne. Laying the robe and the 
jewel I gave you at my feet, they said they were sent to 
me as gifts of the mighty Solomon. As they unfolded 
the robe I saw the image and asked, “Is this the por¬ 
trait of a living creature or a work of the imagination?” 
And the peris replied, “O Sultan, this robe comes from 
the Gardens of Irem and the picture is that of the 
daughter of Shebal ben Sharouk, king of the peris, the 
Princess Bedieto l’Djemal. The robe was sent to the 
Sultan Solomon and he now sends it to you.” Then 
they disappeared and I put away the gifts, until I 
thought to give you pleasure by presenting them to 


THE GARDENS OF IREM 


85 


you. But it will be hard to find this princess whom 
you love, for no man knows where the Gardens of Irem 
lie” 

Prince Seif, however, was glad at heart to know that 
the beautiful image was that of a living being, a peri 
and a princess, and his first impulse was to set out that 
very day in search of the Gardens of Irem. But his 
father persuaded him to wait until picked men had 
been sent out in every direction to discover the road 
which led to the home of the peris . 

So the Sultan Assaf’s emissaries set forth, some in the 
direction of Zangebar, others toward Roum, Shiraz, 
El-Hind and El-Sind, while still others crossed the seas 
of Tschin and Matchin. But after an absence of many 
months they all returned, and though they had 
traversed all the lands of the earth, none had been able 
to find the road which led to the Gardens of Irem. 

But Prince Seif was not content with their report. 
“Unless I can win to the Gardens of Irem and find the 
lovely Princess Bedieto l’Djemal,” he said to his father, 
“my life will be empty of happiness.” So the Sultan 
Assaf fitted out a great ship, freighted it with priceless 
treasures, and equipped it with slaves, guards and mari¬ 
ners; and Prince Seif, after bidding him farewell, set 
out full of hope in search of the Gardens of Irem. 

After sailing for forty days and nights they reached 
the land of China. There the Fagfour, or Emperor, 
received Seif with much honor and made him rich gifts, 


86 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


of precious metals. Yet he could tell him nothing of 
the Gardens of Irem. But one of the wise men of his 
court said, “Prince, I have spent my life in travel. I 
have wandered over plains, mountains and deserts and 
crossed the oceans the wide world over, but never have 
I heard of the Gardens of Irem. Perhaps if you in¬ 
quire at Istamboul you may find some one who knows 
where these gardens lie, for all the travellers and mer¬ 
chants who have been to Kaf, the mountain which lies 
at the extremity of the earth, must pass that way.” 

So Prince Seif took leave of the Fagfour of China 
and set out for Istamboul. One day, however, a tre¬ 
mendous storm arose, the ship floated on the mountain¬ 
ous waves like a bubble of air, and though all the rich 
cargo was flung overboard to lighten the vessel, only 
Prince Seif and some fifty men of the hundreds of 
slaves, guards and mariners who had crowded its decks 
were left when the ship was cast ashore on an unknown 
coast. No sooner had those who had escaped the ship¬ 
wreck managed to get ashore, than they were seized by 
a troop of gigantic black savages. The savages dragged 
them off to their village and there Seif and his men 
were compelled to turn the mills which ground the 
grain for the tribe until their hands were covered with 
blisters. One day Seif and two of his companions man¬ 
aged to escape during the night. On the beach where 
their ship had stranded they found a little skiff, and 
commending their souls to Allah, they pushed it out into 


THE GARDENS OF IREM 87 

the waves. For ten days they were driven by the winds 
until they came to an island covered with date and al¬ 
mond trees, which supplied them with food. When 
night came they climbed into the date-trees to sleep in 
safety and it was well they did so. For during the 
hours of darkness hundreds of savage beasts appeared 
and roamed about beneath the branches. And in the 
sea great fish raised their heads from the water, and the 
sound of their cries was like thunder, while the sea 
grew bright as day with phosphorescence. Prince Seif 
and his companions were so frightened that when dawn 
broke they hastened to get into their skiff and set 
sail. 

Soon they came to another island and this was full of 
wonders. It was green with trees whose crowns rose 
to the skies. The leaves of one tree had the shape of 
serpents, and its fruit resembled a man’s head. During 
the night these skull-shaped fruits dropped to the 
ground with a curious sound —wac wac, wac wac — 
and when dawn came up they flew into place again 
among the branches. Another tree, when the wind 
blew through its leaves, seemed to burst into laughter, 
and there were aloes which at nightfall spread a radi¬ 
ance like fire around them. One of the strangest of all 
was the pepper-tree. It was very tall, and from its top 
hung five cottony husks and five pepper-grapes. 
Would you believe it? During the night the pepper- 
grapes sang as sweetly as the nightingale, and when it 


88 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

rained the leaves spread themselves around the grapes 
so thai the pepper would not lose its strength. Alas, 
while Prince Seif and his companions wandered about 
the island, looking at the trees and watching the pea¬ 
cocks, parakeets and forest doves which fluttered 
through the branches, they were suddenly surprised by 
savage nesmas f ferocious creatures like great apes, and 
dragged off to their dwellings high in the tree-tops! 
What became of his companions Prince Seif never 
knew, but he himself managed to escape from the nesma 
by whom he had been seized, under cover of the dark¬ 
ness. After wandering about the island for three days 
and nights, afraid of being recaptured any moment, he 
at last came to a road. 

It led him to a handsome city with fine streets and 
bazaars, but nowhere did he see a single human being, 
for the city was inhabited entirely by monkeys with 
heads like dogs and human hands and feet, who called 
themselves segsar . As soon as they saw the prince they 
led him to their king, who lived in a lofty gilded pal¬ 
ace, with great halls, in one of which he was sitting on 
an aloe-wood throne, encrusted with cornelian and 
rubies. This king was a young man, a human being, 
and the ruler of all the monkey-folk. He asked Prince 
Seif how he had come to the island, and the latter told 
him all his adventures and then said, “Tell me, brother, 
do you know where the Gardens of Irem lie?” The 
king of the segsar shook his head. “This is the first 


THE GARDENS OF IREM 89 

time I have ever heard of them,” he replied, “so I can¬ 
not aid you.” 

Then the king had a banquet spread for Prince Seif. 
Fruits and honey were carried in on plates of silver 
and cornelian, and after they had eaten, sorbets were 
served and the monkeys danced, stamping the ground, 
to the great amusement of the prince. At dawn ten 
thousand monkeys came to pay their respects to their 
king, each carrying a staff whose extremity was 
adorned with three rubies. After spending several 
days in the monkey city, Prince Seif once more set out 
on a good horse the king of the segsar had given him, 
to search for the Gardens of Irem. He rode on and 
on, until he came to Lawan, the island where the san¬ 
dalwood grows, and which is known as “ the uttermost 
isle.” There, owing to the miraculous power of Allah, 
trees covered with leaves and fruit rise out of the 
ground every morning, and disappear beneath the 
earth again at nightfall. On this island there are ants 
as large as dogs who make it hard to secure the precious 
sandal-wood. Those who come for the sandal-wood 
ride Arab steeds and carry a quarter of meat slung 
across their saddles. When they come to the trees they 
cut the branches of sandal-wood with a hatchet and 
gather them, and then, when the great termite ants 
draw near, they fling them the quarter of meat. While 
the ants are busy devouring it, they make off with the 
sandal-wood. 


9 o FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

Suddenly, while Prince Seif was riding through the 
island of Lawan, he saw in the air just over his head, 
a great bird, as large as a camel, with red eyes and 
green claws. Catching hold of one of its claws, and 
shutting his eyes, he commended himself to Allah, and 
allowed himself to be dragged from his saddle. The 
bird carried him first over a high mountain and then 
across a vast sea, and finally descending in a thick for¬ 
est, alighted on a tree where it had built its nest, 
which contained four fledglings. No sooner had Seif 
dropped into the nest, than a gigantic serpent, as long 
as a minaret, and with a flaming breath drew near, and 
began to battle with the bird. The serpent proved to 
be the stronger of the two and when it had done away 
with the bird, it crept up the tree and did away with 
the fledglings. Then the great snake crept off without 
seeing Prince Seif, who had hidden in the foliage. 

Now came days of trial and suffering for Seif. 
Alone, hungry and thirsty, worn and weary, his eyes 
filled with tears and his heart with grief, he wandered 
through forest and desert until, one day, he found a 
green oasis in the sea of sand, and climbing a little hill 
beheld in the distance a pavilion built of ivory. 

He hastened to it and as he drew near sweet odors 
filled his nostrils. What was his surprise, however, 
when he explored the pavilion and went through its 
chambers, to find that there was no one in it. Yet many 
valuable objects were scattered about the rooms, among 


THE GARDENS OF IREM 


9i 


them a glittering sword, which he buckled on. Calling 
on Allah to aid him, he continued his investigations 
until he came to a curtained doorway. Raising the cur¬ 
tain he found himself in a hall entirely hung with rich 
striped stuffs. Against each of the four walls of the 
hall stood a throne on which lay an ingot of red gold. 
Round about were spread splendid garments, costly 
rugs and rich, four-cushioned settees. From the four 
walls hung gilded cages filled with nightingales and 
parakeets, which sang continually. Leaving this hall, 
Seif next came to an apartment whose door was barred 
and guarded by a talisman in the form of a lion hold¬ 
ing a curtain in its claw. Prince Seif struck the lion 
a blow on the head with the pommel of his sword, and 
at once the talisman released the curtain. Then the 
Prince forced the lock which it had hidden and entered 
the room. 

There, on a golden couch, lay a beautiful girl, whose 
head was covered with a silken veil. Prince Seif 
raised the veil, and saw she was lovelier than a hun¬ 
dred thousand paintings, with a face like the radiant 
moon, a waist like the cypress, and as charming as the 
partridge which ruffles its plumage. Her brow shone 
like the star Zouhre, which the unbelievers call Venus, 
and her little mouth seemed meant to speak only the 
sweetest words. 

In vain Seif tried to awaken her. “Is it possible 
that she is dead?” thought he. At that moment his 


92 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

eyes fell on a wooden tablet. He picked it up, and 
as he left the room the sleeping maiden at once awoke, 
opened her eyes and sat up on the couch. The Prince, 
who had glanced behind him, returned to her, but 
when he reached the couch she had already fallen back 
into her trance-like slumber. Then Seif realized that 
the enchanted tablet kept her asleep. 

He threw it far from him out of the window, and 
the maiden opened her eyes and told him her story. 
Said she, “My name is Melike, and I am the daughter 
of the King of Serendib. One day I was carried off 
in a cloud of dust to the ivory pavilion by the son of 
the king of the divs, or djinns . My troth was plighted 
to the son of a neighboring king, but the div who holds 
me captive in the ivory pavilion by his enchantments, 
hopes that I will agree to wed him and forget my 
earthly love. The ivory pavilion in which we now 
are,” continued the Princess Melike, “is on the island 
of Isfend Tady, three years’ journey from the dwell¬ 
ings of men. One day, while the div was vainly beg¬ 
ging me to become his bride, I asked him some ques¬ 
tions about the djinni. Among other things, I asked 
him where the divs kept their souls. At first he did 
not want to tell me, but finally he said, ‘My soul lies 
in a glass casket at the bottom of the sea.’ ‘And how 
can it be withdrawn,’ I said. ‘If any one possesses the 
ring of Solomon,’ he answered, ‘all he need do is to 
thrust his hand into the water and say, “In the name 


THE GARDENS OF IREM 93 

of Solomon, rise from the deep!” And the glass casket 
will at once float to the surface.’ ” 

Prince Seif was delighted. “Princess,” he cried, 
“the ring of Solomon—the blessing of Allah be upon 
him!—is in my possession,” and he showed her the ruby 
ring he wore. “Now I can deliver you from your 
cruel jailor.” Together with the princess he at once 
went down to the sea-shore, and in response to Seid’s 
command, the glass casket at once rose to the surface 
of the water. Carrying it back to the ivory pavilion 
they opened it, and a pigeon flew out whose head Seif 
cut off with a blow of his sword. At once a violent 
tempest arose outside the pavilion, and in its midst ap¬ 
peared a monstrous div, a demon as large as a moun¬ 
tain. Uttering a lamentable howl, he crashed to earth 
and yielded his soul to Iblis, the master of Gehenna. 

Seif now built a raft of aloe-wood, covered it with a 
layer of brush and branches, and on them piled gold, 
rubies and cornelian taken from the ivory pavilion. 
Pushing off from the island, Seif and Melike, after 
floating for many days, finally reached the land of 
Serendib. There the king was overjoyed to see his 
daughter once more, and embracing Seif, her deliverer, 
treated him with every honor. But Seif was not 
happy. Though he went about in rich robes and rode 
an Arab steed with saddle and bridle of gold, he still 
longed for the Gardens of Irem, where dwelt the beau¬ 
tiful princess Bedieto l’Djemal. 


94 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

He had told the Princess of Serendib, whom he had 
rescued, how wretched he was and why, and finally the 
latter took pity on him—though she feared it might 
not make for his happiness, for how could a human 
being hope to win the hand of a peri princess?—and 
gave him news which filled his heart with joy. “Once 
a month,” said the Princess of Serendib, “the beautiful 
Bedieto TDjemal comes from the Gardens of Irem to 
visit my mother, who was her foster-mother.” So 
when, sure enough, Bedieto l’Djemal arrived a few 
days later, Melike arranged matters so that Seif met 
her, as though by chance, in the palace gardens. And 
if he had been charmed by the image of the peri prin¬ 
cess on the robe, when he saw her in all her living love¬ 
liness he could not contain himself. He told her the 
tale of his love and his adventures, and as she listened 
it was easy to see that her heart was moved. But still 
she tried to induce him to give up the hope of winning 
her. “I am a peri and you are but a human being. 
Never would my father permit us to wed.” With 
tears streaming down her cheeks she asked, “Are there 
not plenty of kings’ daughters in the world among 
whom you may choose a mate?” But Seif fell at her 
feet and declared that for him there was none other 
than herself. Then Bedieto l’Djemal thought for a 
moment and said, “Perhaps, if you are faithful, there 
might be a way to overcome the objections my father 
would have to our union. You must go to my aunt, 


THE GARDENS OF IREM 


95 


Serv Banou, who lives in the City of Silver, and induce 
her to help us, for she has great influence with my 
father. But to reach the City of Silver, you will have 
to cross a desert, a fiery mountain and a boiling sea.” 

“Whatever you say that will I do,” replied Prince 
Seif. So Bedieto l’Djemal gave him an afrit of her 
train, to transport him to his destination. With many 
vows of affection and high hopes Seif took leave of her 
and straddling the afrit's neck, he rose into the air. 
They flew over the desert, the fiery mountain and the 
boiling sea, and then the afrit said, “Close your eyes!” 
When Seif did so he shot up into the higher heavens 
and deposited his burden in the City of Silver. “Open 
your eyes!” he then said, and Seif opened them. 

He was in a city in which the ground was of silver, 
and whose houses were built of gold, cornelian and 
coral in place of bricks. Forests of aloes and sandal¬ 
wood rose to the skies, and crystal waters spouted from 
many fountains. Above each fountain was a canopy 
formed of a tissue of seven-colored silk, fastened with 
golden nails. Seif marvelled at all this wealth. In 
the palace to which the afrit led him he found a woman 
of surpassing beauty, dressed in a green robe, who sat 
on a throne. This was Serv Banou, and when Seif had 
told her his tale she shook her head and cried, “I doubt 
if you will succeed in winning Bedieto l’Djemal’s hand. 
The peris do not trust man, for too often he is deceitful 
and void of faith ” When Seif heard these harsh 


96 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

words he was so distressed that he lost consciousness. 
Seeing this Serv Banou was convinced of his sincerity, 
and ordered that his face be sprinkled with rose-water 
to recall him to his senses. And when he regained con¬ 
sciousness she promised, for her niece’s sake, to have 
him carried to the Gardens of Irem, whither she herself 
would go to plead his cause with Bedieto l’Djemal’s 
father, Shebal Shah bin Sharouk, the king of the peris . 

That night Seif spent in the City of Silver and the 
following day Serv Banou ordered the afrit to carry 
him to the Gardens of Irem. Seated on the afrit's neck, 
Seif in due time reached the place he had vainly striven 
to find for years. There the afrit deposited him at the 
foot of a tree and at once sped away to report to Bedieto 
l’Djemal. 

The Gardens of Irem were as beautiful as those of 
paradise itself. And as he looked on their beauty the 
tears suddenly came to Seif al Moulouk’s eyes. He 
thought of his father, the Sultan Assaf, and of his dis¬ 
tant home. “O my father!” he cried, sobbing. “How 
long I have left you to grieve for me! Little do you 
know that at this very moment I am wandering among 
the roses of the Gardens of Irem!” Yet, in spite of his 
tears, his heart grew glad again within him. At last 
he had reached the goal of his dreams. The peri 
princess returned his love, and once Shah Shebal had 
listened to his suit and granted him her hand, he could 
return and rejoice the heart of the father who so long 


THE GARDENS OF IREM 


97 


had mourned him as lost. His eyes were enchanted by 
the loveliness of innumerable fragrant flowers, his ears 
drank in the song of thousands of nightingales, and 
lulled by the calm and peaceful beauty of the Gardens 
of Irem, he fell asleep in the shadow of the tree beneath 
which the afrit had left him. 

Now while he slept the brothers of the div whom he 
had slain had sent out their subject demons everywhere 
to search for the being who had slain him. And though 
they feared their powerful enemy, the king of the peris, 
still a party of divs entered the Gardens of Irem to 
search there, and discovered Seif asleep beneath his 
tree. A few questions soon convinced them that they 
had found the person who had destroyed the owner of 
the ivory pavilion, and they at once seized Seif and 
hurried off with him to the city of the divs, Koulzoum, 
which stood on a lofty mountain-top, far from the Gar¬ 
dens of Irem. There he was flung into a deep, dark 
cistern to await the hour of death. 

Meanwhile Serv Banou had sought out her brother, 
Shah Shebal, and told him the tale of the love of Seif 
al Moulouk, son of the Sultan of Egypt, for his 
daughter, the Princess Bedieto l’Djemal. And so 
touching a story did she make of all the trials and tribu¬ 
lations which Seif had undergone for love’s sake, and 
so clearly did she show that Bedieto l’Djemal would 
never be happy if he did not accept Seif as a son-in-law, 
that finally Shah Shebal—though at first he had roared 


98 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

with fury—was w T on over and gave his consent to the 
marriage. 

Serv Banou then told him that Seif was, in the 
Gardens of Irem that very moment, awaiting his de¬ 
cision, and when he heard this, Shah Shebal at once 
sent out his guards, and ordered them to bring the prince 
into his presence. But after a thorough search they 
returned and declared that Seif was nowhere to be 
found. Then the afrit was sent for and questioned, and 
told how he had left Seif beneath a tree. Finally Shah 
Shebal ben Sharouk sent out thousands of peris in all 
four directions to search for Seif, and in due course of 
time learned that he had been seized by the divs and 
was held captive in their city of Koulzoun. At once 
Shah Shebal gathered an enormous host of peris, quickly 
defeated the divs who gathered to oppose him and took 
their city. There a rope was let down into the cistern 
into which Seif had been cast and—praising Allah to 
whom all praise is due!—he clambered out and fell at 
the feet of Shah Shebal, who graciously raised him, and 
told him that his trials were over. 

On their return to Shah Shebal’s kingdom Seif found 
the beautiful Princess, Bedieto l’Djemal awaiting him. 
There, that very night, Shah Shebal laid his daughter’s 
hand in Seif’s and gave her to him as his bride. The 
Gardens of Irem were flooded in radiance and glowed 
with a thousand colors, pale reds and dark crimsons, 
emerald greens, golden yellows, silvery blues and rich 


THE GARDENS OF IREM 


99 


purples, for the souls of the flowers shone with joy in 
their chalices and petals because of the happiness of the 
lovely Bedieto l’Djemal, their princess. The wedding 
festivities lasted for forty days and forty nights, the 
nightingales of the Gardens of Irem and the most skilled 
of the peri musicians rivalled each other in making 
music, and gold pieces were scattered by Shah Shebal 
with a lavish hand in Seif’s honor. At the end of that 
time, Seif said farewell to Shah Shebal, and set forth 
to return with his bride to his father’s kingdom. The 
king of the peris provided him with a thousand afrits 
laden with every sort of treasure to be found in the 
Gardens of Irem, load upon load of red gold and pale 
gold, pearls, cornelians, rubies, emeralds, and precious 
stones of every kind, of attar of roses and rare perfumes 
and spices such as earth does not produce. There was 
no king among the kings of earth whose riches could 
compare with those of Prince Seif. The afrits swiftly 
carried Seif, his bride and the treasures through the 
air and, depositing them before the gates of Cairo, dis¬ 
appeared with a rush of giant wings. Then the Sultan 
Assaf came out to meet his son, embraced him and the 
beautiful Bedieto l’Djemal with tears of joy, and led 
them into the palace. There he called together his 
viziers and emirs and in the presence of all resigned his 
crown to his son, and had him proclaimed Sultan of 
Egypt in his stead. Seif al Mourouk and the beautiful 
Bedieto l’Djemal lived in untroubled happiness, and 


ioo FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


whenever they longed for the delights of the Gardens of 
Irem, the sight and odor of their heavenly flowers, and 
the song of their nightingales, they were taken there 
for as long as they wished to stay. 



THE UNGRATEFUL BRAHMIN 


(A Tale from the Sanskrit) 

BRAHMIN must lead a blameless life. His 



XjL heart must be pure as the clear white of the 
jasmine-blossom or the bright radiance of camphor, the 
silver of the clouds or the milk-white gleam of pearls. 
The pious Brahmin may beg, but only from those of his 
faith, and he should be content to live on roots, green 
herbs, rice and grain. Never should he harm any liv¬ 
ing creature. 

But all Brahmins are not as they should be. Once 
upon a time there was a Brahmin named Gautama who 
was not content with roots and green herbs. So when, 
in his wanderings, he came to a village of meat-eating 
savages who did not follow the law of Brahma, but 
lived a carefree life in the midst of plenty, he decided 
to settle down there. A wealthy villager took him in 
and told him he might live with him as long as he 
chose; and forgetful of his vows, Gautama dwelt in 
the house of the kind-hearted savage. He, a Brahmin, 
whose religion forbade him to harm any living crea¬ 
ture, went out every day with bow and arrow, like the 
other savages, and killed the red geese. And the more 


101 


102 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


skilful he became in the use of his weapons, the more 
eager he was to use them. 

One day another Brahmin came to the village. This 
Brahmin was indeed a holy man. His gown was torn 
and ragged, and the skin of the black antelope which 
hung down his back was worn and old. He was a man 
of pure life, a student of the holy books and strict in 
keeping every rule of his faith. He had been Gau¬ 
tama’s schoolmate. When he came to the village of 
savages where the latter lived, he looked about in vain 
for a Brahmin home in which he might rest and refresh 
himself; for a Brahmin must eat only food which is 
given him by Brahmin hands. He happened to come 
to the house where Gautama dwelt, and there stood 
Gautama on the threshold. He had just returned from 
the chase, and held his weapons in one hand and a brace 
of red geese in the other. It was plain he had forgotten 
his Brahmin vows. 

“How low have you fallen, Gautama!” said his 
friend. “Have you forgotten that you are a Brahmin, 
that you have vows and duties to observe? Have you 
forgotten, O hunter of geese, that you should practise 
fasting and privation, and never harm a living creature? 
That you should be clean of life, self-controlled, chari¬ 
table and full of mercy?” 

Gautama, when his friend had ended, replied, “Alas, 
only eagerness to live and to enjoy have brought me to 
this pass! I am grateful to you for visiting me. Stay 


THE UNGRATEFUL BRAHMIN 103 


with me over night, and to-morrow we will leave this 
village of savages together.” Out of pity for his friend 
the Brahmin promised to spend the night in the house 
and went to bed, though he would touch no food in spite 
of his hunger. Then, while he slept, Gautama crept 
out of the house, and wandered away from the vil¬ 
lage. 

After a time he fell in with a caravan of merchants 
who intended to make a sea voyage, and he joined their 
party on its way to the ocean. But in a mountain forest 
the caravan was suddenly attacked by a mad elephant, 
and almost totally destroyed. Gautama escaped as 
though by a miracle. He did not know which way to 
turn, but love of life was strong within him, and he 
pressed on as fast as he was able to the north. He had 
lost sight of the caravan and that part of the country 
through which it had been passing, and strayed through 
the forest like some kimpurusha, some demon creature 
of the wilderness. 

At last he came to a stretch of land bordering the 
sea, and without ways or paths and, finally, to a wood 
full of blossoming trees, divinely beautiful. It was as 
fair as Nandara, the paradise of the god Indra. There 
were great clumps of the noblest mangoes, whose fruit 
ripened in all four seasons of the year; there were groves 
of shala and tamala- trees,-of slender palms, black olean¬ 
ders, and towering sandals. The heights of the sur¬ 
rounding mountains were pleasant to look upon, and 


io 4 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

veiled in fragrant mists, and twittering birds swarmed 
in the branches on every side. 

Gautama was cheered by the voices of the birds, and 
walked toward the direction from which they sounded. 
Soon he found himself on a delightful plain, which re¬ 
joiced his soul, for it was strewn with golden sand, and 
in this plain rose an enormous njagroda- tree, from 
whose aerial roots others had sprung up, surrounding 
the parent tree in graceful circles. Its boughs, in keep¬ 
ing with the vastness of the tree itself, made it look like 
a gigantic umbrella. Its roots were bedewed with the 
costliest sandal-water, and it was covered with a heav¬ 
enly wealth of leaves. Its magnificence was such that 
it made one think of the hall in which thrones the 
great god Brahma. 

Gautama drew near the tree and seated himself be¬ 
neath it. As he sat there a soothing breeze arose, stir¬ 
ring its blossoms and refreshing Gautama’s weary limbs. 
Feeling at peace with himself and all the world, the 
Brahmin lay down and slept, and while he slept the sun 
went down. 

Now when the sun had disappeared and the twilight 
had fallen, a wonderful bird came flying from Brahma’s 
heaven back to this tree in which he made his home. 
The bird’s name was Nadidschanga, and he was Brah¬ 
ma’s dearest friend, the wise Heron King, son of the 
divine sage, Kaschjapa. On earth he was known as the 
Royal Bird, and there was none in all the world who 


THE UNGRATEFUL BRAHMIN 105 


might compare with him. He wore shining jewels; 
gems that sparkled like suns adorned all his limbs, and 
the radiant bird descended to earth like a child of the 
gods in a halo of flaming beauty. 

Gautama saw him arrive with astonishment. And 
since the Brahmin was hungry and thirsty, he planned 
to kill him as he looked at him. For little thought 
Gautama of his vow never to harm a living creature 
when his stomach spoke. But the Heron King said, 
“You are welcome, Brahmin! A kind fate has led you 
to my home. The sun has gone to rest and the twilight 
deepens. You have entered my dwelling, a cherished 
guest, whom I am glad to receive. You shall leave me 
with contentment to-morrow, for I shall honor you as 
the law of hospitality commands.” 

Gautama’s astonishment increased when he heard this 
gracious speech, and he regarded the bird with curi¬ 
osity. Then Nadidschanga continued, “I am Kasch- 
japa’s son, and happy to be your host. Welcome to 
my hearth, best among Brahmins!” He heaped up a 
seat of cA<i/a-blossoms for him, and prepared great fish 
for his supper. These fish were so large that they 
might have swam in the ruts of King Baghiratha’s 
chariot, the ruts which made the bed of the holy Ganges. 
Yes, delicate, fat fish, prepared over a well-nourished 
fire, were what the Heron King offered Gautama. And 
when the Brahmin had ended his savory meal, the 
Heron King fanned him with his radiant wings so that 


io6 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


he might be refreshed. When he had rested Nadid- 
schanga inquired as to his family. But Gautama only 
answered, “I am a Brahmin and am named Gautama.” 

Then Nadidschanga directed him to a great couch 
of leaves, fragrant with heavenly flowers, and once his 
guest had stretched himself out comfortably, the Heron 
King inquired, “And what has led you hither?” Gau¬ 
tama answered, “I am a poor man, O bird of wisdom, 
and have the intention of going down to the sea to gain 
riches!” Affectionately the son of Kaschjapa replied, 
“Let your heart be at ease. Your wish shall be granted. 
The gods teach us that man may gain riches in any one 
of four ways: through inheritance, through the hand 
of fate, through love, and through friendship. I have 
become your friend and you mine. So I shall see to 
it that you gain riches.” 

When the morning dawned, Nadidschanga inquired 
of Gautama how he had slept and then said, “Take 
yonder road which lies before you, my friend, and your 
wish shall come true. Three miles distant lives my 
powerful friend, Virupatkschka, the King of all the 
Rakschkas, the demons. Go to him, noble Brahmin, for 
I shall speak to him, and he will give you whatever 
wealth your heart desires.” 

Gautama at once set out gaily on his way, eating as 
he went of the fruits of the forest, which tasted like 
amrita, the nectar of the gods. His nostrils drew in 
the fragrance of the sandals, aloes and laurels which 


THE UNGRATEFUL BRAHMIN 107 

rose in groves along the road, till he drew near Meruv- 
radscha, the city of the demons. Its walls, gateways 
and towers were of rock, and all the utensils in the city 
were made of rock as well. The wise King of the 
Rakschkas had already been informed that his friend 
the Heron King had sent him a guest, one to whom he 
was well-inclined, so he cried to his servants, “Gautama 
must be standing before the city gate! Make haste and 
bring him into my presence!” 

Then the Rakschkas, swift as falcons, ran out of the 
king’s palace, and hurried to the gate, crying, “Gau¬ 
tama! Gautama!” And when they found him they 
said, “Make haste! Come quickly! The King of the 
Rakschkas, the hero Virupatkschka, wished to see you! 
He wishes to see you at once, so make haste!” And the 
Brahmin ran as fast as he could, in order not to keep the 
king of the demons waiting. 

In his magnificent palace Virupatschka received 
Gautama with honor, and had him sit down in a splen¬ 
did seat. Then he asked him about his family, his 
study of the holy books, and similar questions. But the 
Brahmin could only speak of his family. So the king 
saw that he was talking to a man who lacked the inner 
grace of the Brahmin nature. Since he could only 
tell of his family, this man long ago must have given up 
the study of the holy books. 

Finally Virupatkschka said, “Where do you live, 
worthy man? Tell me the truth—you have nothing 


108 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

to fear from me.” So Gautama answered, “I come 
from the Middle Country, but I have been living in the 
house of a savage.” But the King of the Rakschkas 
thought, “What are the odds. In the month of Kar- 
tika, on the day when the moon is full, I entertain a 
thousand noble Brahmins in my palace. Let this one 
who dwells in the house of a savage be my guest as well. 
He has been sent to me by my frierfd the Heron King. 
I have already heaped up treasure to be given away 
that day. Let him have his share. Why give him 
further thought?” 

Soon the thousand Brahmins arrived. They were all 
learned men, clad in flowing silken robes adorned with 
jewels. The king of the Rakschkas received them as 
Brahma’s law commands. His servants prepared seats 
for them on the ground, strewed it with the finest kusha 
grass, and welcomed them with fragrant darbha- water. 
After homage had been paid the gods, the Brahmins, 
and Gautama among them, all received beautiful golden 
plates, marked by the lightning, and filled with cooked 
rice over which butter and honey had been poured. 
Virupatkschka always entertained the Brahmins with 
the very choicest food on the days of the full moon in 
the months Kartika and Magha. And on the day of 
the full moon in Kartika he made gifts to the Brahmins 
of gold, silver, jewels and pearls. Now, as he had 
done in other years, the King of the Rakschkas said to 
his guests, and pointed to great heaps of treasure, “Take 


THE UNGRATEFUL BRAHMIN 109 


as many of these jewels as you wish, and when you set 
out for home do not forget the plates from which you 
have eaten!” 

So each of the Brahmins took as many jewels as his 
heart desired, and the king dismissed them with the 
words which protected the holy men who had come to 
his feast from every land on earth from the Rakschkas, 
his demon subjects: “For this one day, ye Brahmins, 
no Rakschka will harm you! And now that you have 
enjoyed yourselves to your hearts’ content, make haste 
to leave!” 

As soon as he had said this, the Brahmins ran off in 
groups in every direction, and Gautama followed their 
example. He had gathered up so much gold that he 
was scarcely able to drag himself along. But he hur¬ 
ried back to the great njagroda- tree, where he sank to 
earth, weary, panting and hungry. At once the noble 
Heron King hastened up, greeted him with the affection 
one shows a friend, and fanned away his fatigue with 
the tips of his mighty wings. Then he prepared a meal 
for him, but Gautama, when he had eaten and com¬ 
pletely recovered, thought to himself, “My greed mis¬ 
led me. I have gathered a tremendous load of this 
beautiful gold and I still have a long, long way to go. 
And while I travel I will have nothing to eat. What 
shall I do to prevent myself from starving?” And he 
thought and thought, but could think of nothing in the 
way of food to keep him alive during his journey. And 


Iio FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


then, suddenly, an idea came to the ungrateful Brah¬ 
min. He thought, “Here is the Heron King close at 
hand. He would supply a fine, large piece of meat. I 
will slay him and carry him off with me quickly.” 

Now the hospitable bird, in order to protect his 
guest, had built a fire which shone afar near Gautama’s 
couch. Then, in perfect trust and confidence, he had 
lain down and fallen asleep by Gautama’s side. That 
ungrateful wretch, on the contrary, had stayed awake, 
because he meant to kill his benefactor. And he slew 
the Heron King, who had trusted him, with a burning 
brand. After he had done this, he was so pleased 
that he never thought of the consequences of his evil 
deed. He tore out Nadidschanga’s radiant feathers, 
plucked him and roasted him in the fire; then he took 
him and his gold and hurried off as rapidly as he could. 

When the next day had passed Virupatschka said to 
his sons, “I have not seen the noble Heron King all day 
long. As a rule he flies up to Brahma at dawn to do 
him homage, and he never returns to his home without 
first visiting me. Two nights have passed, and two 
dawns have gone, and yet Nadidschanga has not come to 
my palace. Now my heart is not free from care. Look 
around and see what has become of my friend. That 
Brahmin who did not study the holy books, and who 
lacked the inward grace, went back to him. I fear that 
the contemptible rascal may have harmed the Heron 
King. I could see by his looks that his life was evil, 


THE UNGRATEFUL BRAHMIN hi 

and that evil was in his mind. Yes, Gautama went 
back to Nadidschanga, and this disturbs my soul. 
Therefore hasten, my sons, to Nadidschanga’s dwelling, 
and let us hope that the noble Heron King, as pure of 
heart as the mirror of the Milky Way, is still alive!” 

At once Virupatkschka’s sons, together with other 
Rakschkas, hurried to the njagroda- tree, and there they 
found Nadidschanga’s bones. Weeping bitterly, the 
sons of the wise king of the demons hastened after Gau¬ 
tama. Before long they had come up to him and seized 
him. Yet the wingless body of the Heron King was 
not in his possession. As Gautama hurried through 
the forest the body of Nadidschanga, which he carried 
beneath his arm, had suddenly vanished into thin air and 
his hunger had been cheated. But Gautama still had 
the jewelled feathers Nadidschanga wore on his head, 
and this was enough to prove his guilt. So the Raksch* 
kas took Gautama and quickly brought him to Meruw* 
radscha, the city of the demons, and there showed their 
ruler the jewelled headdress of his friend. 

King Virupatkschka, his minister, and his priests burst 
into tears at the sight, and the whole palace resounded 
with their cries of grief. The whole city, men, women 
and children, mourned, for all had loved the Heron 
King. And then the king Virupatkschka commanded 
his sons to make an end of the evildoer. 

But the demon Rakschkas would not touch Gautama. 
They shuddered at the thought of soiling their spears 


112 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

and lances with the blood of so ignoble a wretch. And 
they said, “Let the slaves slay this lowest of all living 
creatures, for he is too vile for us to slay!’ So the 
king told the Rakschkas to cast him to the slaves. But 
even the slaves would not lift a weapon to do away with 
him. “We are slaves, O King,” they said, “but we 
could not stoop to touch so infamous a thing!” Even 
the demons and their slaves, who shrink from nothing, 
shrank from laying hands on such a monster of ingrati¬ 
tude. One who slays a Brahmin, one who is a thief, 
and one who has broken his vows may still make atone¬ 
ment, but for the ungrateful man, atonement is not 
possible! 

So Gautama passed out of the city of the demons un¬ 
harmed, taking with him his gold. But the loathing 
and contempt which even the demons had shown him 
had aroused his conscience. Soon he could not endure 
himself, he could not bear to be in his own company, 
and coming to the njagroda -tree where he had com¬ 
mitted his crime, life grew to be so great a burden that 
he begged the gods to let him die. But this they would 
not do, and at last Gautama—condemned to live and 
loathing life—knew that nothing may atone for in¬ 
gratitude, the sin which is beyond forgiving. 

But what became of the body of Nadidschanga, 
which had vanished into thin air in the forest? Brah¬ 
ma, who sees all, had called it back to his heaven. 
There he breathed on it, and the soul of Nadidschanga 


THE UNGRATEFUL BRAHMIN 113 


returned; new jewelled wings grew forth from his 
body, and new plumes from his head, and in a trice 
there stood the wise Heron King in all his former 
radiant beauty. And singing the praises of Brahma, 
he joyfully returned to his home in the blossoming 
njagroda- tree, to surprise his friend King Viru- 
patkschka with a visit the following day. 



THE PRINCE WHO LEARNED THE 
WEAVER’S TRADE 


(An Armenian Tale) 

M ANY hundred years ago, a Sultan of Constanti¬ 
nople once set forth with a great retinue of cour¬ 
tiers, guards and attendants, and the young prince who 
was his son and heir, to make a pleasure journey into 
the land of Kurdistan. With his guards, known as the 
“Slaves of the Palace,” and all his train of dignitaries 
and great lords, litter-bearers, camel-drivers and camp- 
followers, the Sultan traversed rivers and forests, as¬ 
cended lofty mountains and crossed vast plains, covered 
with grassy meadows and fields of grain, and finally 
reached the country of the Kurds. There it happened 
that one day the imperial caravan came to a large 
Kurdish village surrounded by verdant meadows, 
where it set up its tents in order to repose after the 
fatigue of travel. The village was filled with people, 
for it was the day of the fair. Everywhere men came 
and went, selling or buying horses, sheep, vegetables 
and fruit, as well as household utensils, robes of silk 
and cotton, and the magnificent rugs of a thousand 
bright colors and fantastic designs, which were woven 
on the looms of the country. 

114 


THE PRINCE WHO LEARNED 115 


Now the young prince, who had strayed from his 
father’s great encampment, whose white tents rose upon 
the green fields, found his way to the village fair, and 
there made the acquaintance of a young and lovely 
village girl. After having talked a long time to her, 
the prince was so charmed by her wit and beauty, that 
he returned to his father and told him he wished to 
marry her. “My son,” said the Sultan, “give up this 
idea! Who is this girl? She is only a simple village 
maid and a Kurdish one into the bargain. I have an¬ 
other wife in mind for you: the daughter of the wealth¬ 
iest among the great pashas of Constantinople.” 

But the young prince, while he replied to his father 
with the utmost respect, showed so plainly that his heart 
was set upon marrying the village girl to whom he had 
spoken, even though he were obliged to spend the rest 
of his life in a village of Kurdistan, that the Sultan in 
the end yielded to his entreaties and sent for the young 
girl to be brought into his presence. The Sultan re¬ 
ceived her alone in his great tent of red silk, guarded by 
tall Nubian slaves with golden scimitars, and hung 
with green banners and trophies of arms. 

“I am willing to accept you as my daughter-in-law,” 
he said to her, and stroked his beard. “Are you will¬ 
ing to wed my son?” 

“O Padishah!” she answered, without seeming to be 
in the least impressed, “what trade has your son 
learned?” 


n6 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


“Trade, trade?” cried the Sultan, for he was much 
astonished. “See here, my good girl, are you mad? 
What have trades to do with my son, the son of a Sul¬ 
tan, who in Allah’s good time will reign over the Os- 
manli?” 

“My Lord Padishah, I know nothing about the sons 
of sultans or the rulers of the Osmanli. But the man I 
marry must know a trade. If the young man, your son, 
has learned a trade, then I will marry him. And if not, 
then not.” And that was the end of it, so far as the 
Kurdish girl was concerned, for it was not possible to 
make her change her mind. 

Seeing how matters stood, the prince, since there was 
nothing else to do, at last decided to learn a trade; and 
while his father the Sultan returned to Constantinople 
with his splendid retinue, his pashas and his begs, his 
guards and his servants^ the young man remained in the 
Kurdish village to serve his apprenticeship. 

He had chosen to learn the trade of a weaver, and 
become a weaver of rugs. Since he was anything but 
clumsy and in addition was eager to learn, he made 
rapid progress, and at the end of a year had become a 
skillful rug-weaver. And thereupon the girl readily 
consented to become his wife, and both of them set out 
for Constantinople, where their wedding was celebrated 
upon their arrival, and the Sultan decreed that the city 
should be given up to festivals and rejoicing for the 
space of seven days. 



The Sultan received her alone in his great tent oi red silk 

































THE PRINCE WHO LEARNED 117 

Now it happened that some months after his mar¬ 
riage, the young prince was told that in such and such a 
street of the city, near an ancient bridge, there was to 
be found a tavern, mean and insignificant to all out¬ 
ward appearance, in which more delicately cooked and 
savory food was served than in all the other taverns of 
Constantinople put together. This seemed strange to 
the prince, and being inquisitive by nature, he decided 
to find out for himself whether or no this were the truth. 
So he disguised himself as a well-to-do merchant, thrust 
a bag of gold-pieces into his girdle, and went to the 
tavern. 

“I wish to be served with the best you have in the 
place/’ he said as he entered. And at; once the inn¬ 
keeper ushered him into a small chamber reserved for 
guests of distinction, brought him a plate heaped with 
victuals of every kind and left him there, face to face 
with his dinner. 

The prince began to eat, and while he was eating— 
not without considerable surprise—the really delicious 
meats which had been prepared in this very ordinary¬ 
looking inn, he suddenly noticed that he was descend¬ 
ing. And dinner, table and the divan on which he was 
seated were all descending with him. In another mo¬ 
ment the opening in the floor of the chamber left by the 
trap-door on which he had gone down closed above 
him, and he found himself in a profound dungeon, 
dimly lit by a narrow air-hole. Here four or five rob- 


118 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


bers, the confederates of the wicked inn-keeper, flung 
themselves upon him and prepared to stab him to death 
with their daggers. But the prince did not lose his 
presence of mind. 

“If you kill me,” said he to the robbers, “what will 
you gain thereby? Take the gold I have about my per¬ 
son and keep me here. I am a rug-merchant, and be¬ 
fore I began to buy and sell rugs I learned how to weave 
them myself. Now if you will supply me with the 
material with which to work in this cavern, you will 
reap a handsome profit by selling my rugs.” 

The robbers thought it over and at length agreed to 
his proposal. The materials he needed were brought 
to him and he remained in the dungeon, where he at 
once set to work for, thought he, a live rug-weaver is 
better than a dead prince. And thus he saved his life 
because he knew a trade. 

When the prince, however, did not return to the 
palace, his young wife was very much disturbed, and 
went to the Sultan. The Sultan, in turn became 
alarmed, sent out men to look for his son in all the 
streets and byways of Constantinople, and offered a 
great reward for any news of his whereabouts. But 
nowhere could any trace of the prince be discovered, 
nor was there any news to be had of him. The Sultan, 
his daughter-in-law, the court and finally the whole na¬ 
tion, were plunged in the deepest sorrow. 

The robbers, like every one else in Constantinople, 


THE PRINCE WHO LEARNED 


119 

had heard the mysterious disappearance of the young 
prince discussed, but it never entered their heads that 
he might be the weaver of rugs hidden away in their 
dungeon. The pretended rug-merchant in the mean¬ 
time worked away without stopping, and the robbers 
looked forward with much pleasure to obtaining a good 
price for the splendid piece of work that was taking 
shape on his loom. From time to time these wretches 
lowered some other diner who had found his way to 
the tavern, and whom they suspected of being well 
equipped with gold pieces, or whose jewels had caught 
their eye, into the cave. There he would be slain with¬ 
out pity in the presence of the prince, unable to defend 
the unfortunate victim. And, before dawn, the body 
of the man who had been slain would be cast into the 
Bosphorus. 

In his gloomy prison the young prince, his head bent 
over his loom, did not lose a moment. It was his de¬ 
votion to his task, had he but known it, that saved 
him from despair, since it did not leave him time to re¬ 
flect upon the horror of his situation. By the light of 
a smoky oil-lamp, he worked all day long, only stop¬ 
ping to eat his two slender meals, and continuing to 
toil until far into the night. When at length he fell 
asleep, broken with fatigue, he would awake to resume 
his labors the moment the first faint ray of dawn began 
to filter through the air-hole. 

The thought of his young wife, of his family, of his 


120 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

friends, often crossed his mind, and then he suffered 
cruelly. Yet at such times he would once more return 
to his work with a kind of rage, telling himself that 
every thread woven in his web, perhaps, brought him 
that much nearer to those whom he loved. He had, 
in fact, a secret hope in connection with this rug he 
was weaving with such marvelous speed, while thinking 
of his loved ones. “It is not for myself alone that I 
am working,” he said to himself. “If my hope is 
realized, more than one unsuspecting victim will be 
saved from the terrible death which menaces him!” 

Six months after his entry into the dungeon, the Sul¬ 
tan’s son had at length completed a rug of vast dimen¬ 
sions, in whose weaving he had exhausted all his art, 
his good taste and his inventive powers. It was a 
splendid piece of work, glowing with the richest colors, 
and with gold and silver thread. He had taken good 
care to broider his name in the rug—for that it might 
catch the eye of someone who knew him was the hope 
he hid in his breast. He had even indicated the place 
in which he was held captive by means of a few words. 
All this he had done in the flourishing Arabic script 
which blended easily and gracefully with the ara¬ 
besques of his fanciful design. Traced in a corner 
of the rug, with threads of neutral grey, these words 
were not likely to attract the attention of such ignorant 
wretches as the robbers. 

“Here is a rug which should bring a high figure,” the 


THE PRINCE WHO LEARNED 121 

prince told his jailers. “Sell it in the city to some 
pasha or, better still, to the Padishah himself, for he is 
a great lover of fine rugs! Above all do not sell it for 
less than a thousand dinars of gold!” 

Soon two of the robbers, disguised as porters, left 
the tavern with the heavy rug on their shoulders, and 
began to walk the streets of Constantinople calling out 
that it was for sale. People crowded to examine it, 
and it excited general admiration; but the robbers 
could not find a single purchaser willing to pay a 
thousand gold dinars for a rug, no matter how beauti¬ 
ful it might be. At length the venders came to the 
Sultan’s palace, went in, and were admitted into the 
Sultan’s presence, for it was known that he was an ad¬ 
mirer of fine rugs. The Sultan, in truth, was aston¬ 
ished at the beauty of the rug, and without any hesita¬ 
tion commanded that the price asked be paid for it. 
And when the robbers had the thousand golden dinars 
counted out to them, they went their way well con¬ 
tent. 

Then the Sultan had the rug spread out in one of the 
palace halls, and called together his whole family to 
admire it. The prince’s young wife was there, too, 
still full of anguish because of the disappearance of her 
husband. It was with the liveliest emotion that she 
recognized the workmanship of the rug as being that 
in which the weavers of her native Kurdish village 
excelled, and the thought of him, who in order to please 


122 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


her, had learned the weaver’s trade, seized upon her 
more forcibly than ever. 

“This rug,” said she, “surely comes from my own 
country.” And while one and another of the Sultan’s 
family remarked upon the beauty of the workmanship, 
the wealth of agreeably blended colors and the ingen¬ 
ious fantasy of the designs, the young woman, forcing 
back her tears, examined the rug in silence. 

It was not long before she had deciphered the letters, 
and then all the rest read them after her, and were 
stupefied at seeing the prince’s name, as well as the 
mention of the tavern near the ancient bridge traced 
in the pattern. 

“It is he!” said the princess in a trembling voice. 
“It is my husband who has broidered the inscription. 
He calls on us to help him!” 

The Sultan asked why the prince had added the 
name of a tavern to his own. 

“Some misfortune,” replied the princess, “must have 
overtaken him at that place. Believe me, my Lord, he 
is calling us, and we should not lose a moment in going 
to his aid!” 

Then the Sultan’s younger son, the brother of the 
prince who had disappeared, remembered his having 
mentioned the tavern to him, but could not recall in 
what connection. 

“All this is of no moment!” cried the Sultan. “My 
daughter-in-law is right. It is indeed the cry of my 


THE PRINCE WHO LEARNED 


123 


son in his distress which the inscription brings us. His 
life is in danger. We must save it!” 

At the Sultan’s command, a company of janizaries 
was sent in all haste to the tavern near the ancient 
bridge, and arrived only a few moments after the two 
robbers had returned with the thousand dinars of gold. 
The tavern was at once surrounded, and the robbers, 
taken by surprise, were seized and bound before they 
even had time to think of defending themselves. 

Then the janizaries forced the iron door by means 
of which the robbers entered the dungeon, and found 
the prince seated on the ground, where he was already 
beginning to weave a second rug. He was brought out 
into the open, and the people of Constantinople sur¬ 
rounded the pallid youth, dazzled by the light of day, 
with a compassion full of respect. The prince was 
ready to sink to the ground with emotion, at this sud¬ 
den realization of the hopes he had so long nourished 
in secret. The people pitied him, they kissed his 
hands, and cursed his tormentors. 

Soon the Sultan arrived, together with his daughter- 
in-law, his family and his court. It is easy to imagine 
his joy as he once more embraced his long-lost son. 
And after him the young wife pressed the prince so 
marvelously brought to light to her breast. The whole 
city wept with happiness. 

“My dear wife,” said the prince, when he had once 
more donned his rich robes of state, and mounted on a 


124 fairy tales from the orient 

white Arabian steed, was riding beside her litter, “I 
owe my life to you! The trade which I learned for 
love of you was my salvation. It preserved me from 
madness as well as death, and to-day it has brought me 
my deliverance!” 

And while the robbers were haled away to be 
judged, the Sultan returned to his palace with his 
family, and commanded another seven-day festival of 
rejoicing at the expense of the imperial treasury. 


THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO 

(A Chinese Tale) 

N EVER believe, dear reader, that the intercourse 
between the Goddess of the Winds and the 
Flower Spirits is a fairy tale. Within the limits of the 
Four Seas and Nine Parts into which the earth is 
divided are many magical things, things never seen by 
eye nor heard by ear, nor yet written in the classical 
books. So many are there, in fact, that their number 
cannot be counted. It is claimed that Rung Fu-Tze 
has said nothing of miracles. Yet who so loves flowers, 
he shall be blessed, and who so injures them shortens 
his own life-span. Xove of flowers is one of the virtues 
and not a fable. For those among you, dear readers, 
who do not believe this, I know a tale of a flower-water¬ 
ing old man who met a spirit-maiden at night, and this 
tale I shall tell you. And if there be among you one 
who already loves flowers, his love of flowers will be in¬ 
creased hereby. Yet if one of you who does not love 
flowers hear it, even he may learn to love them. At 
any rate the tale will while away time and beguile the 

wearisome hours. 

* * * * * 


125 


126 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


In the time of the Emperor In Tsung of the Sung 
dynasty, in the province of Kiang Nan, without the 
Eastern Gate of the provincial capital Ping Kiang, 
lay the village of Tsiang-Lo, about two miles distant 
from the city. In that village there lived an old man 
named Tschou Schian, the descendant of a peasant 
family, who possessed a few acres of land and a house. 
His wife had died without leaving him any children. 
Now from his youth on Tschou Schian had been pas¬ 
sionately fond of growing flowers and planting fruit- 
trees, and later he gave up farming altogether, and 
lived only for this, his favorite occupation. If by some 
chance he obtained a flower of special value he was no 
less happy, nay, even more so than if a treasure of 
pearls had fallen into his lap. If, while busied with 
anything of importance, it happened that he came 
across beautiful flowers or trees underway, he was 
quite unconcerned as to whether or no their owner 
would let him look at them or not, but straightway went 
up to him and with smiling face begged to be allowed 
to examine them. If they were plants commonly met 
with, or such as he himself had in his own garden, 
whose blooms were exactly like his own, he might not 
stay so long. But if they were flowers of a rarer kind 
which he did not possess, or, possessing them they had 
already bloomed, they would drive all important mat¬ 
ters from his mind; he could not tear himself away 
from them, and would let the whole day pass without 


THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO 127 

thinking of going home. Hence they called him the 
“Flower Fool.” When he met a dealer who carried 
with him beautiful flowers, he never stopped to con¬ 
sider whether or no he had any money with him, and he 
let none such pass without buying from him. If he had 
no money about him, he pawned his clothes, and thus 
obtained the purchase price. Many flower dealers, 
who knew his ways, set a higher price on their wares; 
but this did not deter Tschou from buying. Evil men 
who were aware of his love for flowers hunted up the 
loveliest to be found, broke them off and surrounded 
the wound with earth in order to mock his folly. Yet 
he bought even these. And, strange to say, no matter 
what he might plant, it would thrive. In the course of 
time his plot of land had become one great garden, 
surrounded by a bamboo fence, upon which the most 
variegated climbing plants lost themselves in a green 
wilderness. Below the hedge grew all sorts of bushes 
and shrubs, and about the tree-trunks twined a thousand 
different kinds of clambering vines, and so manifold 
were their flowers that it would have been impossible 
to have counted the various species. Whenever they 
bloomed they seemed like a curtain of embroidered 
silk. Wherever one trod appeared a wonderful shrub 
or a rare expanse of blossom, and no sooner had one 
bloom begun to fade than others were opening in its 
stead. Toward the south lay a gate of woven boughs, 
to which led a footpath planted on cither side with 


128 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


bamboo, also guarded by two rows of a plaited ever¬ 
green hedge. In the background stood a little house 
with three rooms and a roof of grass. In spite of its 
grass roof, however, the house was high and airy, bright 
and sunny. In the middle room, against the wall, was 
a painting without writing, and also a white wooden 
bench, upon which to rest, and a few tables and chairs, 
all clean and well-cared for like the floor, on which not 
a speck of dust was to be seen. The rooms lying 
to the rear of this one the Flower-Fool used as bed¬ 
rooms. Round about there were only flowers, as 
though the four seasons never changed here, and eter¬ 
nal spring reigned around the house. Before the 
eastern gate to the garden and directly opposite to it, 
lay the great lake whose waterscape, through all 
changes of season, in clear or in rainy weather, always 
spread in richest natural beauty. Tschou Schian had 
built a dam on the shore of the lake, and had planted 
it lavishly with peach-trees and willows, so that when¬ 
ever spring came, everything glowed in stripes of red 
and green, and with a beauty which well-nigh equalled 
the splendor of the Western Sea. Moon-flowers grew 
in the river, but the lake bore water-roses of five colors, 
whose fragrance, at the time when the water-roses 
blossom, floated in colored clouds above the surface of 
the lake, and bedewed the skin of human beings with a 
sweet-smelling odor. Little boats sped to and fro over 
the water, and the song of the water-plant seekers rang 


129 


THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO 

pleasantly across the waves. When a breath of wind 
arose, they ran races with each other, using sails and 
oars, and the lake was covered with a flying medley of 
crossing boats. Under the willow-trees the fishermen 
dried their nets, many of them played with their chil¬ 
dren, others repaired the torn or wornout meshes; others 
again lay sleeping aboardship or were holding swim¬ 
ming races, and the air was full of human speech and 
laughter. Those who wished to admire the water-roses 
came in handsomely decorated boats, with festival mu¬ 
sic, and so many were there of them that the boats lay 
close beside each other, like the scales on a fish. Then, 
when evening came and they turned to steer homeward, 
one could see ten thousand lights mingling with the 
sparks of the fire-flies and the glimmering reflections of 
the stars, so that it was impossible to tell one from the 
other. Yet, when the Autumn wind began to blow, the 
oak-woods gradually grew red, and on the green and 
yellow meadows by the shore the faded willow-leaves 
and moon-flowers were mingled. All kinds of water- 
plants cast their shadows on the water, and among the 
reeds the cranes hid themselves in flocks, and uttered 
their sad calls. Finally, when winter had come, heavy 
clouds, one after another, covered the skies: it began to 
snow and the earth and the heavens seemed to merge in 
one uniform and endless hue. Ah, who may describe 
the beauty of the four seasons on the lake in mere words! 

It was Tschou Schian’s custom when he rose every 


130 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

morning, carefully to sweep together the leaves which 
might have fallen from the trees. Then he drew water 
and watered every single plant, and this he did a second 
time when evening came. If a flower was about to 
bloom that day his joy passed all bounds. He would 
boil tea, bow before the flower, pour a little of the tea 
on the ground, and call out three times in succession: 
“May you live three thousand years!” Then he would 
seat himself in the shade of the flowering plant, drink 
soberly and test the liquid with his tongue. When the 
tea he had drunk had made him feel good-humored, he 
would sing a song; but if he were weary he would 
choose a stone for a pillow and lie down unconcernedly 
beside the tree-trunk. And from the opening of the 
first bud to its standing in full bloom he would not leave 
the tree for a single moment. If the sun burned too 
fiercely he would take a broom, dip it in water and 
sprinkle the blossoms with it. When the moon shone 
he would pass the whole night without sleeping. But 
if it stormed or rained he would go out among the trees 
and flowers in his mantle of reeds and his hat of woven 
rushes, and look everywhere to see that nothing hap¬ 
pened to them. If no more than a little twig had been 
bent he would raise it again with a bamboo staff. For 
all it was dark night he would rise to look after his 
plants, and did so several times during the night. 
When a blossom began to fade he would sigh long and 
often, and sometimes would shed tears. Since he could 


THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO 131 

not bear to fling away the fallen blossom-petals, he 
swept them lightly together with a broom, picked them 
up and laid them on a plate. Sometimes he would play 
with them, or regard them thoughtfully, until they had 
entirely withered. Then he would put them into a vase 
and when it was full, drink and pray sadly, as though 
he could not bear to part with them, and thereupon bury 
the vase deep in the earth of the dam. This he called 
the Burial of the Flowers. If the blossom-petals had 
been beaten down by the rain and been sullied by the 
earth, he would first wash them in luke-warm water, 
and then strew them over the lake. This he called 
the Bath of the Flowers. 

He greatly disliked to see any one bend down a 
branch and pluck a flower. For he said: “Every 
flower blooms but once in the course of a year, and lives 
only during one of the four seasons. Yet even of that 
season she may claim but a few days, and she survives 
three other seasons for the sake of her few fleeting mo¬ 
ments of beauty! Does she not dance when the wind 
blows, and does she not smile at people as though she 
herself were a human being, living her happiest days? 
Suddenly she is plucked—could the flowers but speak 
they might tell us how they suffer! Even when she 
has come into her few days of existence, she is at first 
in bud and in the end must fade, and only the brief 
hours which lie between mark the glory of her bloom¬ 
ing. Bees and butterflies injure her, birds and worms 


i 3 2 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

peck and gnaw her, the sun withers, the rain beats down 
upon her, and the mists hide her. Man alone comes to 
her aid. Where is the heart that can pluck and break 
her without pity! And who can measure the tale of 
years and months which must pass before the seed be¬ 
comes a seedling and the seedling grows into a tree? 
Is it not, then, a delight to look at the blossoms and in¬ 
hale their fragrance? Must they be broken as well? 
It should be remembered that a blossom, once severed 
from its stem, can never return to its place. All those 
who pluck flowers select the most beautiful branch, or 
the one most densely covered with bloom, and place 
it in a vase on their table, either to do honor to guests, 
to heighten for a short time the pleasures of the banquet, 
or to adorn their womankind for a day. Who remem¬ 
bers that the guests can eat and drink and make merry 
under the branches themselves, and that human art suf¬ 
fices to produce ornaments for women? Every branch 
in a human hand is lost to its parent tree. Would it not 
be better to let it grow in delight, year after year? And 
think of the buds which are broken off together with 
the blossoms which have opened and must wither ere 
they bloom? They are like children who have died in 
tender years! And there are those who do not love 
flowers at all, who pluck them heedlessly and once 
plucked give them to any and every one, or else, without 
pity, fling them carelessly aside. These flowers re¬ 
semble those unfortunates whom fate has mistreated, 


THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO 133 

and who are powerless to establish their rights. Could 
the flowers but speak—oh, what sorrowful tales they 
might tell us!” 

Such were Tschou Schian’s feelings with regard to 
flowers. In all his life he had never broken a branch 
or plucked a flower from its stem. If he chanced to be 
in a strange garden which contained flowers unknown 
to him, he would remain there all day long contemplat¬ 
ing them. And if the owner of the garden wished to 
pluck a branch and give it to him, he would not accept 
it, thinking it sinful. If some one came to pick flowers 
and he noticed it, he would talk to him by the hour 
trying to dissuade him from his purpose. And if the 
other would not listen to him, he would kneel and plead 
with him to spare the flowers’ life. Because of all this 
he was known as the Flower-Fool, though people 
realized how kind-hearted he really was, and often 
ceased their plucking and breaking of flowers at his re¬ 
quest. Then he would thank them in the flowers’ name. 
When he met boys who were on their way to pluck 
flowers in order to sell them, he would make them a 
present of as much as they might have sold them for, 
and would not let them approach the blooms. When 
a flower was broken during his absence, he would first 
mourn and then anoint the wound with a salve: this 
he called Curing the Flowers. 

He seldom admitted people to his garden to admire 
his flowers; and when a relative or some good friend 


i 34 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

whom he could not refuse wanted in, he would not 
admit him until he had told him how fond of flowers he 
was. Fearing that the emanations of the body might 
injure them, he would only allow the plants to be ad¬ 
mired from a distance, and permitted no one to examine 
them at close range. And if, despite all, some one broke 
a flower, the old man would fall into such a rage that his 
face would turn dark-red; he would begin to scold 
loudly and violently, and never again allow the offender 
to enter his garden gate. All the folk of the country¬ 
side knew his peculiarities, and none of them ventured 
to touch a single petal of his flowers or a single leaf 
on his trees. As is known, wherever many trees are 
growing together, birds like to build their nests, and 
where many flowers bloom even greater flocks of birds 
are wont to gather. If they were content to eat only of 
the fruits, the loss might be borne; but they love to 
nourish themselves with the young buds. For this 
reason Tschou Schian always strewed plenty of seed 
and grain on the ground, and prayed the birds not to 
injure his flowers. And who would have thought it: 
in his garden even the birds responded to his appeal. 
Day after day, when they had satisfied their hunger, 
they would fly slowly between the flowers or sit in the 
trees and sing, and never did they touch a bud or a blos¬ 
som. Therefore the trees in the old man’s garden bore 
more fruit than those in any other, and every fruit 
was large and sweet. As soon as the fruit had ripened, 


THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO 135 

he first prayed to the god of flowers, and not until he 
had done this did he venture to taste it. Then he would 
send fruit to all his neighbors to enjoy and what was 
left he sold, so that year by year he could lay aside 
a little money. The living gladness of the flowers had 
passed over to him and though more than fifty years of 
age, he was never weary or indolent. His muscles and 
sinews, in fact, seemed to increase in power. He drank 
only tea of an inferior quality and ate coarse food, and 
what he had over at the end of the year he gave to the 
poor of the village. Hence all the villagers honored 
him and politely called him: “Sir Tschou.” He, how¬ 
ever, called himself: “The Flower-Watering Ancient.” 

Now it chanced that at the time there was in the 
village a man from the nearest-lying town, by name of 
Djang We, the scion of a noble family. He was cruel 
and treacherous, and oppressed the whole countryside, 
for he was very powerful. Any one who even unknow¬ 
ingly offended him soon found himself in trouble. He 
was constantly surrounded by a crowd of servants re¬ 
sembling wolves and tigers, and a band of rude young 
men with whom he moved about day and night, com¬ 
mitting all sorts of wild offenses. A number of families 
had already been ruined by this monster. One day, 
however, it chanced that he met another of his own 
kind who was even more savage than he, and by whom 
he was seized and beaten half to death. Then, when he 
took his plaint to court, he lost his case into the bargain. 


136 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

So now he was wandering about in the village, which 
belonged to him, mad with rage, and in the immediate 
neighborhood of Tsiang-Lo. Once, after breakfast, 
when he was wandering about the village, he happened 
to stop before Tschou’s garden, and noticed how fresh 
and charming the flowers looked in the garden hedge, 
and saw that in the garden flowers, trees and bushes 
were all in freest bloom. “Why, this is magnificent!” 
cried he. “To whom does this garden belong?” “It 
belongs to Tschou Schian, whom people call the 
Flower-Fool,” replied his servant. “Yes, I have al¬ 
ready heard that a certain Tschou Schian had planted 
many trees and flowers here,” replied Djang We. 
“Since we’re on the spot, however, why do we not enter 
and look at them?” “The man is peculiar,” the ser¬ 
vant explained, “he allows no one to examine his 
flowers.” “Others he may not permit to enter,” de¬ 
clared Djang We. “Would he dare to object in my 
case? Hasten and knock!” 

It was just at the time of the peony blossoming. 
Tschou had just finished watering, and was seated 
alone among his flowers, with a jug of water and two 
platters of fruit, in order to enjoy his repose. Hearing 
a knock without, he set down his goblet and went to the 
gate. He at once thought: “They wish to enter to 
look at my flowers,” spread out both his arms to close 
the entrance and asked: “What do you wish here?” 
“Do you not know me?” inquired Djang We. “I am 



Tschou had just finished watering, and was seated alone among his flowers 
























THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO 


*37 


the celebrated Sir Djang and the village of Djang is my 
property. I have been told that you have many beau¬ 
tiful flowers in your garden, and I have come here 
especially to look at them.” “I have no beautiful 
flowers here,” replied Tschou. “I have nothing but 
peaches, apricots and the like; and these, too, are al¬ 
ready passed their season of bloom. At this time there 
are no other flowers here.” Djang’s eyes grew round. 
“This is maddening,” he cried. “I have come here 
only to look at your flowers! What harm can that 
do? And you tell me you have none. Do you think 
I wish to eat them?” “I have not lied to you,” an¬ 
swered Tschou, frightened, “there are really no flowers 
here.” But Djang We would not listen to him; he 
stepped forward, flung down Tschou’s arms with a 
jerk, and thrust him in the breast so that he tottered 
to one side. Then he rushed into the garden with 
his companions. When Tschou saw that matters were 
taking an evil turn, there was nothing left for him to 
do, in spite of his anguish, but to let the intruders have 
their way. He locked the door behind them and fol¬ 
lowed them, stationing himself beside them. Djang’s 
party now saw that the garden was full of manifold 
flowers and trees; but that none bloomed as splendidly 
as the peonies. For the peony is the queen among 
flowers, and the loveliest peonies to be found are those 
of Lo-Yang. There are yellow ones, called Yo, and 
violet ones known as We, and many another variety; 


138 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


for they are manifold in name and color, and a single 
peony-tree costs as much as five-thousand silver taels. 
Yet if one should inquire why the peonies of Lo-Yang 
are the most precious of all, it is because of the Empress 
Wu Tsai Tien, who lived in the time of the Tang 
dynasty. She was extravagant, voluptuous and cruel, 
and had two favorites, Djang Je-Tse and DjangTsiang- 
Tsung. One day in November she took it into her head 
to walk in the gardens of her palace and she issued 
an edict: “To-morrow at morn I wish to walk for my 
pleasure in the park of my palace. Let the message be 
sent broadcast with the swiftness of fire that spring is 
to appear everywhere! All the hundreds of varieties 
of flowers must blossom this night, and not wait until the 
wind of morning arise!” Since Wu Tsai Tien was a 
ruler divinely appointed to reign on earth by the 
Heavens, the flowers did not dare to act contrary to her 
command, and their buds grew and blossomed in the 
course of a single night. On the following morning 
the Empress was carried in her imperial litter into the 
park of her palace, and lo, thousands of red and ten 
thousands of violet flowers were in bloom, spreading 
abroad a blinding radiance. The peonies alone had 
been too proud to obey the Empress and her favorites, 
and they had not put forth even a single little green 
leaf. Then Wu Tsai Tien was angered, and banished 
the peonies to Lo-Yang, whence they have spread over 
all the world. 


THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO 139 

In Tschou Schian’s garden the peonies had been 
planted directly opposite the little grass hut. They 
were surrounded by a low wall formed of stones brought 
up from the lake; a wooden structure had been set up 
for their support; and a cloth cover had been stretched 
over it to protect it from the sun. The trees were more 
than a djang in height, and even the lowest branches 
stood six to seven feet from the ground. Their blooms 
were as large as saucers, and there were some of five 
colors, so beautifully mingled that their splendor daz¬ 
zled the eye. Djang We’s followers were full of praise, 
and he himself at once climbed upon the wall in order 
to inhale their fragrance. Since Tschou could not suf¬ 
fer this he said to Djang We: “Please, do not approach 
them so closely!” Djang We, already irritated because 
he had not been freely admitted to the garden, was 
only looking for some pretext for a quarrel. When he 
heard these words, he turned and cursed the old man. 
“You live in my neighborhood! Is it possible that you 
do not know my name? Here all is full of the most 
beautiful flowers, and you tell me you have none. And 
instead of being glad that I said no more about it, you 
dare to continue your impudent speeches. What harm 
can it do the blossoms if I smell them? Seeing the way 
in which you carry on I am only the more inclined 
not to cease.” With that he bent down bloom after 
bloom and smelled of it. Tschou Schian stood beside 
him and did not venture to oppose him, for he thought 




140 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

that once Djang We had seen the flowers he would go. 
But the latter was intentionally trying to exasperate the 
old man and said: “Who could look at such lovely 
flowers without drinking a flagon of the juice of the 
grape!” At once he commanded his servants to bring 
it him. When Tschou Schian saw that preparations 
were in progress for a festival his rage increased. “My 
house,” said he, “is like a shell, there is no room in 
it to sit down! Look at the flowers, but drink when you 
have returned home again.” “There is plenty of room 
here for us to seat ourselves,” said Djang We, and 
pointed to the ground. “The ground is dirty, you will 
not wish to sit there,” replied Tschou. “What differ¬ 
ence does that make?” asked Djang We. “We will 
spread out rugs.” 

In a short time food and drink had been brought, 
and the intruders, spreading rugs, seated themselves in 
a ring, drank, played and amused themselves, while 
Tschou Schian sat and watched them with a worried 
countenance. And when Djang We saw the trees and 
flowers in all their beauty and splendor, an evil thought 
came into his mind, and with glistening eyes he spoke 
to Tschou. “For all that you look so old and silly, you 
really know how to plant trees and flowers. There is 
a goblet for you. I make you a present of it!” “I am 
not accustomed to drink,” said Tschou angrily, “drink 
it yourself!” “Would you like to sell this garden?” 
now inquired Djang We. When Tschou heard these 


THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO 141 

words he knew that some evil was underway. Said he: 
“This garden is my life, how could I permit myself to 
sell it?” “Life or no life,” cried Djang We, “sell me 
the garden and once you have done so, you need do 
nothing but tend the garden. What more would you 
want?” 

“You are lucky, old man,” the servants now said. “If 
Sir Djang condescends to look at matters this way you 
should hasten to thank him.” Tschou saw that they 
were trying to drive him step by step into their net; 
excitement so overcame him that his hands and feet 
seemed to wither and die. When he returned no an¬ 
swer Djang We said: “This old man is enough to drive 
one mad! It is for him to say whether or no he will 
sell his garden. Why does he not answer?” “I have 
already told you I would not sell it,” replied Tschou, 
“so why ask me again?” “Do not babble nonsense,” re¬ 
plied Djang We. “If I hear another word about your 
not selling the garden, I shall write a letter to send you 
before the judge!” Tschou Schian’s rage had now 
reached its climax, and he was tempted to tell Djang 
We what he thought of him. Yet he reflected that 
Djang We had power and influence. He could not 
meet him on equal terms. So he decided to bide his 
time, get him out of the way temporarily, and wait and 
see what might develop. “Sir,” said he, choking down 
his rage, “if you wish to buy the garden let us discuss 
it quietly. How can we come to any decision in a single 


142 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

talk?” “Very well,” said the other, “you may be right, 
so we will wait until to-morrow.” 

The whole company now rose; the servants clearing 
up the dishes and being the first to depart. Since 
Tschou Shian feared they might injure the flowers, he 
placed himself before them to protect them. Djang 
We in the meantime, had climbed the peony-wall and, 
no matter what the cost, decided to break a blossom. 
“Sir!” cried Tschou Schian, clutching him, “for all that 
a flower is but a tiny creature, who knows what pains 
it has cost to bring forth its few blossoms? Does it not 
hurt you to break them? In another day or two they 
will have faded, so why commit this sin, this shameful 
act?” “You are babbling nonsense again,” answered 
Djang We. “What do you mean by sin and shame? 
When you sell the garden to-morrow it is mine. I could 
break off all the blossoms if I had a mind to do so, and 
what business would it be of yours?” He tried to break 
from Tschou’s grasp, but the latter clung to him all the 
more closely and cried: “Even though you slay me I 
will not suffer you to break a single bloom!” “In truth,” 
said the others, “the old fellow is a queer sort. A single 
bloom—what difference does it make? He looks at us 
as though we ought to be afraid of him, and thinks we 
will stop breaking flowers as the whim strikes us, just 
on his account!” And with that they at once began to 
break the blooms. Tschou, filled with anguish, 
screamed loudly. He loosed his hold on Djang We, 


THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO 143 

and tried his utmost to keep the others away from the 
blooms. But unfortunately he exposed one side to at¬ 
tack as soon as he ran to defend the other, and in a short 
time most of the blooms had been torn from the boughs. 

You evildoers!” cried Tschou in an agony. “You 
come to one who has never done you any harm, in order 
to wound and insult him. Of what value is life to me 
now!” With that he went to Djang We and butted him 
in the breast with his head. So furious was his assault 
that Djang We fell to the ground. “He has injured our 
master,” the others now cried, and turned against 
Tschou Schian to beat him. Yet among them were a 
few more sensible than the rest who, seeing that Tschou 
was an old man, feared that he might be beaten to death, 
and persuaded the others to leave him and raise their 
master from the ground. Djang We, still more enraged 
by his fall, now beat down all the blooms, and still 
unsatisfied, stamped violently on those already lying on 
the ground. Then Tschou Schian’s anguish grew so 
intolerable that he flung himself on the earth, and cried 
so pitifully that the sound of grief rose to the heavens. 

When the neighbors noticed that a quarrel was going 
on in the garden, the people flocked together and saw 
the ground covered, far and near, with blossoms and 
leaves. Djang’s band was about to fling itself upon 
Tschou in order to beat him, when the neighbors, very 
much alarmed, interposed, calmed the rascals, and in¬ 
quired as to the reason of the scene. Among the neigh- 


144 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

bors, were also some tenants of Djang We, who begged 
him to excuse Tschou Schian. As the gathering people 
gradually dispersed, passing out through the garden 
gate, Djang We said to the neighbors: “Tell the old 
thief that if he makes me a present of the garden in a 
polite speech, nothing further shall happen to him. 
Yet if he even attempt to utter the word ‘No,’ then he 
may watch out for what shall take place.” The neigh¬ 
bors paid little attention to what he said at the time, but 
returned, raised Tschou Schian from the ground and 
placed him on the steps. The old man, however, con¬ 
tinued to wail and seemed to be devoured by grief. The 
neighbors comforted him, bade him adieu and locked 
the garden gate for him. Some of them declared that 
though the old man had never allowed people to look at 
his flowers, perhaps after this quarrel he would act dif¬ 
ferently. Others declared that this should not be said, 
since the proverb runs: “Care for flowers a year and 
you will see them for ten days!” People only knew that 
flowers were fair to look upon, but they gave no thought 
to the time and pains he who tended them sacrificed. 
“Is it then surprising that the old man loves his flowers 
so madly?” they asked. 

Tschou Schian in the meantime could not bear to let 
the blossoms lie on the ground. He picked them up 
and found them all much broken and trodden under¬ 
foot. His grief again overcame him, and his tears be¬ 
gan to flow anew as he said: “Flowers, dear flowers, 


THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO 145 

never have I injured the very least of your petals! 
Who would have thought that so sad a fate would over¬ 
take you!” While he was still weeping a voice behind 
him spoke: “Tschou, why do you lament so bitterly?” 
As he turned he saw that the speaker was a maiden of 
sixteen, fair and delicate in face and figure, clad in a 
simple yet costly robe. He did not know to which 
household she might belong, but wiped away his tears 
and queried: “Maiden, which is your household and 
what do you desire?” “I live near by,” replied she. 
“They told me the peonies in your garden were in 
fullest bloom, so I came here especially to see them. I 
would not have thought that they had already faded and 
fallen.” When his peonies were thus once more re¬ 
called to Tschou Schian, his tears began to flow again 
unconsciously. “What grieves you,” asked the maiden, 
“so that you are continually weeping?” Then Tschou 
Schian told her of his adventure with Djang We. “If 
that be the case,” laughed the maiden, “tell me, would 
you like to see your blossoms on their branches again?” 
“You are jesting, maiden,” replied Tschou Schian. 
“How is it possible for the blossom which has fallen 
to regain its bough?” “I have inherited a means from 
my ancestors, known as ‘Bring-Blossom-to-Twig,’ ” re¬ 
plied the maiden. “It is one I have often tried and it 
has never failed me yet.” Then Tschou Schian’s sor¬ 
row was turned to joy. “Is this true, maiden?” he cried. 
“Why should it not be true?” replied she. Then Tschou 


146 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

Schian flung himself down on his knees before her 
and said: “If you care to give me a little share of your 
wonderful secret I have no way of thanking you. Yet 
I will always call you to me as often as a flower blooms, 
so that you may enjoy the sight. “Do not kneel,” said 
the girl, “but go and fetch me a goblet of water.” 
Tschou Schian rushed away to fetch the water, still 
filled with lively doubts; but when he returned with it 
the maiden had vanished. The blossoms, however, 
were once more on the tree branches, and not a single 
one was lying on the ground. Originally each had but 
a single color, yet as he now saw them they seemed to 
have changed, and were striped with red and violet. 
Each tree bore blossoms of five different colors, and 
they were fresher and more beautiful than before. 
Tschou Schian was happy and very much surprised. 
“Who could have imagined,” he said, “that the maiden 
truly possessed such a wonderful charm!” Thinking 
that she must still be standing somewhere behind the 
trees, he set down the water, intending to thank her. 
But though he searched the whole garden, her shadow 
lay nowhere on the grass. “I will surely find her if I 
look by the gate, and will go there and ask her to teach 
me her magic charm.” He went to the gate which was 
still locked, and saw two old men of the neighborhood, 
Yu and Schien, sitting there and watching the fisher¬ 
men dry their nets. When they saw Tschou come out 
they rose and said to him: “We heard that Djang We 


THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO 147 

had carried on in your garden in an evil manner. As 
we were in the fields we could not come until now to 
inquire about the matter.” “Do not remind me of that 
evildoer, who has treated me so unjustly,” said Tschou. 

I must thank a maiden who saved my blossoms by a 
magic charm. Yet I have been unable to thank her 
for she has disappeared. Did you notice in which di¬ 
rection she went?” When the two ancients heard this 
they were much surprised: “How can it be,” they 
asked, that the broken blooms are on their branches 
again? When did the maiden leave?” “This very 
minute,” replied Tschou. “We have been sitting here 
a long time,” said the neighbors, “but no one has passed. 
How then could we have seen this maiden?” Then 
Tschou Schian’s heart trembled. “If it be as you say,” 
he said, “then perhaps it is a spirit who came to earth.” 
“Tell us,” the old men insisted, “what did she do to 
save the flowers?” When Tschou Schian had told them 
all, they were still more surprised and wished to see 
the miracle with their own eyes. So they went together 
with him and stood before the trees. “In truth it must 
have been a spirit!” they cried, overcome with aston¬ 
ishment. At once Tschou prepared a jug of wine and 
poured a sacrifice to the maiden in the heavens. “You 
have always loved the flowers so tenderly and so 
deeply,” the two old men now said, “that a spirit de¬ 
scended from the skies because of it. Djang We will 
be overwhelmed with shame when he sees the flowers 


148 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

blossoming again to-morrow.” “Let be,” answered 
Tschou Schian, “such a being is like a vicious dog. 
One should be on one’s guard against him even at a 
distance. Why do you speak of him?” “Yes, you are 
right,” declared the ancients. Thereupon Tschou, in 
the fullness of his joy, would not let the two depart, but 
drank tea with them beneath the flowers until evening 
had come. Only then did the ancients depart, and 
soon told the tale of the miracle to all, so that it spread 
throughout the village. On the following morning all 
would have liked to have gone to the garden to view 
the wonder, but they feared Tschou would not permit 
it. How could they have known that Tschou Schian 
had long been considering the idea of himself becom¬ 
ing a spirit, and now that one had come to him, had 
decided to allow the world to sink beneath his feet? All 
night long he had not slept, but had sat beneath the 
trees, reflecting that the adventure with Djang We had 
only occurred because of his narrow-heartedness, for 
which it was a punishment. Once free and lofty in 
mind and heart as the spirits are, and like them capable 
of supporting anything, what more could happen to 
him? On the following morning he unlocked the gate 
and allowed the curious to enter the garden and wander 
about in it as they chose. He had but just opened the 
gate when some came up to inquire. They saw Tschou 
Schian sitting by his peonies and he said to them: 
“Come, if you wish, and look. Only break none of my 


THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO 


149 


blossoms.” And when they heard this they spread the 
news broadcast, and men and women, young and old, 
came crowding up to wonder and admire. 

In the meantime Djang We rose from his couch at 
an early hour and said to his followers: “Yesterday the 
old man cast me to the ground, but I shall not endure 
this insult. Either let him give me the garden now or 
we will go there and break all the trees to pieces.” 
“You will not miss obtaining the garden,” they replied, 
“you need not fear a refusal on his part. Yet it would 
have been better if we had not beaten down all the 
blossoms yesterday, but had left a few to delight our 
eyes.” “Why should that worry us?” said Djang We. 
“They will bloom again next year. Now let us hasten, 
before the old man has time to prepare to resist us.” 
But when they came forth from their village, they heard 
that a spirit had been in Tschou Schian’s garden, and 
that all his blossoms were in place, and more beautiful 
in their varied colors than before. Djang We could 
not believe his ears. “Why should a spirit put herself 
out for that old fellow?” he said. “And if so, why did 
she wait until we had torn down the blossoms? Does 
he keep spirits in his house? He is afraid of us, and 
has invented this story in order to frighten us.” And 
the others all cried: “Indeed, you are right, Your 
Honor!” Soon they were standing before the garden 
gate through which the people were streaming in and 
out, all telling the same tale. “Is such a thing pos- 


150 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

sible?” asked Djang We’s followers. “Have no fear,” 
their master told them. “No matter what spirits haunt 
the garden, I intend to possess it.” So in they went and 
reaching the little grass hut found that the tale was a 
true one. In his heart and soul Djang We was very 
much surprised, yet his greed to possess himself of the 
garden was not lessened. A malicious thought came 
to him and turning on his heel he said to his followers: 
“Let us go for the present!” When they had left the 
garden his companions asked him why he had made no 
inquiries. So he told them, “I have an idea. Say nothing 
to Tschou about it, and to-morrow the garden will 
be mine.” Of course they wanted to know what he 
had planned. “You know,” said Djang We, “that not 
long since the sorcerer Wang Tsai has put himself at 
the head of a rebellion, and that the authorities have 
sent orders throughout the land to seize the sorcerer and 
his fellow rebels. A reward of three thousand taels 
has been offered those who can point out any of the 
magician’s followers. What clearer evidence of sor¬ 
cery is there than the blossoms which have returned to 
their boughs? Djang Pa shall go to town and report 
that the old man is inciting the villagers to rebellion. 
If he cannot endure the torture, he will confess and be 
cast into prison. The garden will be sold by the state, 
yet none but myself will dare buy it, and both the gar¬ 
den and the three thousand taels will then be mine.” 

Djang Pa at once went to town, and reported Tschou 


THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO 151 

Schian as agreed. As soon as he heard that all the vil¬ 
lagers had witnessed the magic transformation which 
had taken place in the old man’s garden, the mandarin 
sent his servants to the garden, where they seized old 
Tschou Schian, bound him with cords and dragged 
him off. Djang We, as soon as he had been taken away, 
went to the garden, locked it up, and then followed 
the servants of the court. Poor Tschou Schian was 
thunderstruck when the judge, before whom he was 
brought, accused him of trying to incite his friends and 
neighbors to rebellion by magic means. But when the 
judge asked him, “Did you not, in the course of the past 
few days, cause the blossoms which had fallen from 
your trees to return to the boughs by sorcery? Can you 
deny this?” he knew that Djang We had misled the 
magistrate. The latter, however, would not believe the 
Flower Fool’s explanations and, angered by what he 
thought was the old man’s obstinacy, threatened to put 
him to the torture. 

At the moment he did so, however, he was suddenly 
seized by a fainting spell, so that he nearly fell from 
the bench. So unwell did he feel that he gave orders 
for Tschou Schian to be taken to prison, and that the 
matter of questioning him be deferred until the fol¬ 
lowing day. 

So they led the old man off to prison. He wept bit¬ 
terly, and as he passed Djang We remarked: “When 
was I ever your enemy that you treat me with such 


i S 2 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

cruelty?” To this Djang We made no reply and went 
off with Djang Pa and his friends. But old Nur Yu 
and Schien, who had accompanied Tschou Schian, 
promised to bring the judge a letter signed by all the 
folk in the village on the morrow, asking for his re¬ 
lease. And then Tschou Schian was led to jail. 

That night, as he lay in deep sorrow on his pallet, 
lost in gloomy thoughts, he suddenly sensed that the 
spirit was near him. “Save me, great spirit!” he cried 
quickly. And though he could not see the spirit-maiden 
he heard her laugh and then she asked: “Would you 
like to escape from your difficulties?” A wave of her 
hand, and his chains fell from him and then, drawing 
near her, he humbly asked her name. “I am a guardian 
Flower Spirit,” she replied, “sent by the Queen-Mother 
of the South-Western Heavens. Since your heart was 
so kind I took pity on you and allowed your blossoms 
to grow once more on the trees. To-morrow you shall 
go free, for Djang We has offended the flowers and de¬ 
ceived his fellowmen. The Flower-God has already 
reported what has happened to the Lord of the 
Heavens, and Djang We’s punishment has been de¬ 
creed. You, however, have spent all your time so vir¬ 
tuously that in a few years I shall help you to become 
one of the immortals. If henceforward you eat nothing 
but flower-petals your body will grow so light that it 
will float into the heavens like down.” And then she 
showed him how the flower-petals should be eaten. 


THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO 153 

Tschou Schian knelt before her to thank her, and when 
he rose she had disappeared. 

He looked about him and saw the maiden standing 
high on the prison wall beckoning him upward with 
her hand, and calling, “Come along!” And Tschou 
Schian began to climb the wall, yet no matter how hard 
he tried he could not get beyond the middle of the 
wall. He felt himself growing heavier and heavier 
and realized that he could climb no further. Suddenly 
the sound of a gong fell on his ear and a voice cried: 
“The sorcerer has fled! Up, we must seek him!” He, 
was frightened, his hands trembled, his feet seemed like 
lead, and he dropped heavily from the wall to the 
ground. At this very moment he woke, and saw that 
he was still lying on his pallet. Meditating upon his 
dream he came to the conclusion that all would yet turn 
out for the best. 

When Djang We saw that the judge was treating 
Tschou Schian as a sorcerer, his delight over the success 
of his plan knew no bounds, and he said: “The old man 
was always a queer old chap. But to-day he lies in jail 
and cannot prevent us from enjoying ourselves in his 
garden to our hearts’ content.” His companions all ap¬ 
plauded him, and having sent servants to town to bring 
food and drink, Djang We entered the garden with 
them. They went straight to the little grass hut and 
suddenly Djang We noticed that not a single peony was 
left on its stalk. The blossoms once more lay scattered 


f 54 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

about the ground, just as when he, had first cut them 
down. His companions were surprised, but Djang We 
said: ‘‘Well, perhaps the old man could work magic, 
else how could the blossoms have changed place in the 
space of half a day!” Said one of his friends, “it may 
be that he knew we would come here to look at the 
flowers, and has enchanted them in order to annoy us.” 
But Djang We replied, “If the blossoms were stricken 
from the trees by magic, we will drink a toast to them 
now they lie on the ground!” So they spread rugs out 
on the earth, made themselves comfortable and passed 
the flowing bowl until late in the afternoon. It was 
then that a violent whirlwind suddenly rose and raised 
all the peony blossoms from the ground. In the 
twinkling of an eye they were changed into tiny little 
girls, not one of them more than a foot high. “What 
does this mean?” cried the terrified Djang We and his 
companions. No sooner had they spoken than the girls, 
in the midst of the whirling wind, grew in height, as 
though the latter had blown them larger, and then it 
was plain that they were all delicate and beautiful in 
shape, and gleaming in enchantingly colored garments. 
They surrounded the band of evildoers, who, blinded 
by their beauty, stared at them without a word. Then 
one of the girls, clad in a red robe, spoke to her com¬ 
panions and said: “Dear Sisters, this garden has been 
our dwelling-place for the past ten years, during which 
time Tschou has ever cared for us and protected us in 


THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO i S5 

the tenderest manner. Who could have thought that 
these evil men would injure us so cruelly? By their 
deceitful wiles Tschou Schian has been cast into prison, 
and now they wish to take possession of his garden. 
The enemy stands before us. Should we not strike him 
with all the power we have in gratitude to Tschou 
Schian?” The others replied: “You are right, Dear 
Younger Sister! Let us begin quickly before our 
enemy escapes!” No sooner had they spoken than 
they began to wave their sleeves, several feet in breadth, 
like the sails of a wind-mill, and the icy breeze which 
came from them bit deep into flesh and bone. 
“Spirits!” cried Djang We and his evil companions, 
and ran about in the maddest confusion, none seeing 
or heeding the others. Some were torn and scratched 
by the boughs of the trees, others stumbled and fell, 
rose and tripped again; and so great was their confu¬ 
sion that only after some time had passed did they ven¬ 
ture to stand still. When the members of the party 
were counted all were there save Djang We and Djang 
Pa. The storm had ceased and evening had come. 
All covered their heads with their hands and slunk away 
as quietly as mice. After a time, when they had some¬ 
what recovered, they brought some field laborers with 
them and returned to the garden to seek Djang We and 
Djang Pa. 

When they came to the big apricot-tree, they heard 
a loud cry and raising their lanterns saw Djang Pa 


156 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

lying there. He had stumbled over a projecting tree- 
root and had seriously injured his head. Since he could 
not rise, he was placed in a litter and taken away while 
the search for Djang We was continued. It was quiet 
now in the garden: the thousand and one noises of the 
day seemed to be slumbering. When they passed the 
peony-trees they saw that the blossoms were once more 
in place, and that not a petal lay on the ground. In 
the little hut of grass, beakers and flagons were scat¬ 
tered about, and in fear and trembling some cleared 
away the broken china, while others continued their 
search for Djang We. And yet, although the garden 
was not large and they had already crossed and re¬ 
crossed it in all directions, there was no trace of Djang 
We to be seen. Had the spirits destroyed him or the 
wind blown him away? Finally, since he could by no 
means be found, there was nothing left to do but to re¬ 
turn and wait until morning and then seek once more. 

As they were leaving the garden gate, however, sev¬ 
eral persons bearing lanterns drew near. Among them 
were old Yu and Schien. They had heard the tale 
of the spirits, and that Djang We could nowhere be 
found and had not known what to make of it. So 
they had set out with several neighbors to look into 
the matter themselves. “Do not go back yet,” they 
said to Djang We’s servants. “We will help you search 
once more!” The servants were willing, and once 
more every nook and corner of the garden was searched, 


THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO 157 

but all in vain. At last, when Djang We’s servants 
were about to leave, and the two old men had decided 
to close the garden door, one of the field hands cried 
out from a corner by the eastern wall: “Here lies our 
master!” Like bees, all flew to the spot, and the field 
hand said: “Is not that our master’s soft hat hanging 
on the bough of yonder tree?” “If the hat be there, 
the owner cannot be far away,” replied the others. 
They brought the light of the lanterns to bear upon the 
wall, and a few steps farther on, from a ditch into which 
offal was cast, they saw two human feet stretching up 
toward the sky. Djang We’s servants recognized their 
master’s boots, and knew that the feet must be his. 
With great labor and effort they managed to draw the 
body out of the ditch and the following day, after his 
relatives had been notified, it was buried. Nor did 
Djang Pa survive his injuries. 

The day after, when the circumstances attending the 
deaths of Djang We and Djang Pa had been explained 
to the judge, and more than a hundred inhabitants of 
Tsiang-Lo appeared to testify to Tschou Schian’s love 
for flowers and his blameless life, he was at once freed. 
On his return to the village the neighbors gave festi¬ 
vals in his honor, which he returned, and all was gaiety 
and merriment. 

Yet from that time onward Tschou Schian went with¬ 
out food, and eating only the petals of the fallen blos¬ 
soms, gave all the money which came from the sale of 


i S 8 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

his fruit for the benefit of the poor. In the course of 
a few years his white hair grew black again, and a new 
youth smoothed the wrinkles from his face. One day 
when the festival of Midautumn was celebrated in 
the middle of August, beneath a radiant sun, without 
the faintest cloud in ten thousand miles of purest azure 
sky, Tschou Schian was sitting among his : flowers. 
And of a sudden the fortune-bearing wind began to 
blow, piling up colored clouds in the air like rolling 
vapor, out of which sounded a sweet music of pipes 
and flutes. A wonderful fragrance filled the atmos¬ 
phere, blue phoenixes and white storks flew and danced 
in the air, and gradually sank down to the garden. 
And on one cloud sat the Guardian Spirit of the Flow¬ 
ers, who had been sent by the Queen Mother of the 
South-Western Skies, and at either side of her moved 
two files of bearers of banners and embroidered para¬ 
sols in multicolored garb, while some of the parasol- 
bearers made music on different kinds of instruments. 
When Tschou Schian became aware of them, he cast 
himself down on his knees before the Flower Spirit. 
And the latter said: “Your virtue has now reached its 
highest point, and I have reported it to the Lord of 
the Heavens. He bestows upon you the name of Pro¬ 
tector of the Flowers; you are to be the future ruler 
of all the flowers on earth, and are now to take flight 
up to the heavens. And if a human being loves flowers 
then you must grant him blessings, but if he despises 


THE FLOWER-FOOL OF TSIANG-LO 159 

and injures them you must do justice upon him.” 
Tschou Schian thanked her, and entered the cloud to¬ 
gether with the other spirits. Then the grass hut and 
the flowers slowly rose in the air and followed him, 
all turning to the South. Yu and Schien, and the 
other villagers who beheld this flung themselves to the 
ground. And quite plainly they could see Tschou 
Schian stretching out a hand in greeting to them 
as the cloud gradually disappeared. In later years the 
village of Tsiang-Lo, for this reason, came to be known 
as the Village of the Spirit Ascension or the Village of 
the Hundred Flowers. 


THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH 


(A Japanese Tale) 

O NCE upon a time, on the island of Miya Jima, 
where the yellow sand is strewn with rosy shells 
at ebb-tide, and the pine trees lean away from the 
wild sea wind, there lived an old, old wood-chopper 
named Yoshida, with his aged wife Foumi. They 
were loved and respected by all the inhabitants of their 
village, for they had dwelt together for sixty years in 
faithful and tender affection. 

In the early days of their marriage, Yoshida had been 
a strong and powerfully-built youth, with keen black 
eyes, and a heavy shock of hair, which he wore wound 
in a knot on his head. Foumi was graceful, her long 
lashes slightly raised toward her temples, and her white, 
oval face would color like a peony when she blushed. 
Yoshida was not rich enough to clothe her in costly 
brocades, but on feast days she looked charming in her 
modest gray gown, with its girdle, on which silver 
chrysanthemums were embroidered on a brown ground. 

Foumi, before she married Yoshida, had heard tell 
that man’s heart was as changeable as the autumn leaf. 
So she had made up her mind to gain her husband’s 
160 


THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH 


161 


affection by unwearied patience and changeless tender¬ 
ness. And she was so successful that Yoshida’s fond¬ 
ness for her only increased with the passing years. 

Their three sons had become fishermen. They drove 
their boats out into the deep rolling sea and cast their 
nets, and drew fish broad of fin and narrow of fin out 
of the cold, clear waters. Yet one day they did not 
return, and Yoshida and Foumi knew that Shiko- 
Tschuchi-no-Kami, the Lord of the Sea Salt, had called 
them down to his great palace of fish scales beneath the 
wave, to wait on him at the banquets to which all the 
fish of the sea brought sweetmeats in vessels of coral, 
jade-stone and gold. So, though they mourned them, 
they knew they were happy, and every day laid offerings 
of rice, flowers or fruit on the little altar before Shiko- 
Tschuchi-no-Kami’s shrine. 

And now, both Yoshida and Foumi had grown very 
old, and resembled those venerable sea-tortoises which 
are said to live for centuries. Yoshida was wrinkled 
and dried up, his back was bowed, and his limbs 
trembled. Foumi had become quite small, and the skin 
clung to her bones. Nevertheless, Yoshida still went 
into the forest from time to time, and cut a small tree; 
and Foumi kept the house neat and clean. And every 
day, in spring, she placed three branches of flowering 
cherry in the bronze vase before the little image of their 
favorite household god. He was a funny little god, 
with a long beard and a high bonnet, and held a long 


162 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


pilgrim’s staff in one hand. His name was Foukouro- 
koujou, and he was supposed to be a god of happiness, 
and to protect the aged. 

But happiness, alas, is hard to find! Now that 
Yoshida and Foumi had grown old, they sighed for 
their lost youth, and Foumi, in particular, would say, 
“Why cannot we grow young again? How wonderful 
life would be then.” 

“I would have all my former strength to use the axe,” 
Yoshida would reply. 

“And I,” Foumi would add, “could move easily and 
quickly about the house. We would have long years 
before us, and our days would be full of happiness.” 

With these thoughts on their mind they grew more 
and more sad, day by day. And the little god Foukou- 
rokoujou noticed their sadness. He could restore their 
youth to them, yet this would be contrary to the laws 
which govern human existence. So, instead, he deter-, 
mined to cure them of their vain regrets. 

* * * * * 

One fine autumn day, Yoshida awoke before the gray 
dawn and turned to rise, and seeing that Foumi still 
slept, decided to shut his own eyes once more. Yet an 
inner voice seemed to call to him, saying, “Rise, the 
day is beginning to break, and you are strongest in the 
freshness of morning! Take your axe and go to the 
forest. It is possible that a pleasant surprise awaits 
you there.” 


THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH 163 

And without a clear idea of what he was doing, 
Yoshida obeyed. He rose without waking Foumi, and 
taking his axe set out for the forest. 

While he walked the dawn rose softly up, like a 
prayer, and when he reached the forest it was day. 
And there he saw something which surprised him 
mightily. Never before, at the entrance to the forest, 
had he noticed the magnificent maple-tree which now 
towered there, and whose leaves, painted by the autumn, 
shone in scarlet beauty against the sombre green of 
the pines. And even greater was his surprise to be¬ 
hold for the first time in this spot so well known to 
him, a beautiful crystal spring, gushing forth in mar¬ 
vellous clarity from a natural basin of rock. 

Attracted by the celestial blue of the running water, 
he took up a few drops in the hollow of his hand and 
drank. 

Wonder of wonders! Bending over the water, as 
clear and unbrpken as a mirror, he saw himself trans¬ 
formed. His hair once more was black, there was not 
a wrinkle on his face. He stood upright and new 
strength seemed to swell his muscles. He was young 
once more, as he had been at twenty. Without know¬ 
ing it, he had drunk of the Fountain of Youth, whose 
true spring is in Horaizun the Blest, where birds with 
blue and gold feathers sing eternally in the tree-tops. 

Robust, smiling, glad in his new-found strength, 
Yoshida hastened home, and as he entered the house 


164 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

Foumi awoke. Seeing a handsome young man enter 
she uttered a cry of surprise; then, looking at him more 
carefully, he seemed familiar to her and, suddenly, re¬ 
membering her husband as he had looked twenty years 
before, she was motionless with astonishment, and 
wondered whether she had lost her mind. 

Yoshida soon reassured her. He told her what he 
had seen and what he had done, and she began to laugh 
and weep with joy. Without losing a moment she, too, 
would seek out the miraculous fountain, and when she 
returned, she would once more be as graceful and 
lovely as she had been at twenty. Ah, what long years 
of untroubled happiness they now could look forward 
to passing together! No, Yoshida need not go with 
her, she said, and with hurried steps she disappeared 
in the direction of the forest. 

***** 

For a time Yoshida patiently waited for Foumi to 
come back. But soon time began to grow long to him, 
and he walked impatiently about the room. Foumi did 
not return. Finally, he left the house and looked 
toward the forest, but could not see her on the path 
which led to it. 

Yoshida began to feel alarmed. At last, no longer 
able to control the dim forebodings which rose in his 
mind, he ran toward the forest. 

He came once more to the beautiful maple-tree with 
its scarlet leaves, and again heard the soft murmur of 


THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH 165 

the fountain, mingling with the sigh of the wind 
through the pines. He saw the limpid blue water, still 
gushing from the rock, but not a sign of his companion. 
He searched round about the spring, and when he re¬ 
turned to the maple-tree had not yet discovered a trace 
of her. She seemed to have vanished, without a sign, 
and his heart grew more and more alarmed. 

Suddenly, a strange sound fell on his ear. It was a 
vague wail, like the plaint of a wounded animal. Led 
by this sound i the wood-chopper took a few steps and 
then stopped, dumbfounded. There, in the high grass, 
lay a little girl baby, who seemed to be no more than 
a few months old, and whose arms were stretched out 
to him in despairing appeal. 

He took up the little one, examined her attentively, 
and looked into her eyes. What strange eyes! They 
held a world of recollections, of thoughts, and seemed 
to be making a great effort to express something which 
the child wished to make him understand, yet could not 
tell him. “Where,” thought Yoshida, “where have I 
seen these eyes before? I seem to know them well. 
Eyes just like them have smiled at my happiness, and 
wept at my sorrows.” 

And suddenly he understood. This tiny babe was his 
old, old wife. Foumi, alas, had become too young! 
Without doubt, she had feared that the magic might 
not be effective if she took but one sip of water. She 
had thought one sip would not make her youthful 


166 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

enough, and had drunk so much at the fountain that she 
had become a few months’ old babe. 

Yoshida, with a sigh, fastened the tiny creature to his 
back as mothers do in order to carry their children, and 
returned home filled with melancholy. He would have 
to bring up and guard like a father the companion 
whom he had expected to see return to him lovely and 
graceful as on the day of their wedding. 

* * * * * 

Back in his home, Yoshida placed his cherished little 
burden on his bed and covered it warmly. Then he 
seated himself beside the child, and began to revolve 
his unhappy situation in his mind. What use was his 
new-found youth to him, now that he had lost his cher¬ 
ished companion? And while lost in gloomy thought, 
he chanced to look at the image of the little god Fou- 
kourokoujou. It seemed to him that the little god’s 
eye was fixed on him, and that he smiled in his beard. 

“Perhaps Foukourokoujou had grown weary of our 
complaints, and wished to amuse himself at our ex¬ 
pense,” he thought. And looking at the god he said, 
“What shall I wish? I do not know whether you can 
restore peace to my soul, but if you can, do so, Foukou¬ 
rokoujou, you who have watched so long over my dear 
Foumi and myself!” As he said this prayer, he felt 
his eyes close, and a moment later he was peacefully 
sleeping. 


THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH 


167 


The mid-day sun, falling on Yoshida’s face, awak¬ 
ened him. He sat up on his bed, and recalled what had 
happened that morning. Yet, how strange! His 
hands were no longer a young man’s hands. They were 
wrinkled and trembling. He raised them to his head, 
and found that his hair was scant. Nor did he feel that 
youthful abandon which had filled him when he had 
first returned from the spring, and then run back in 
search of his wife. 

His wife? Casting a glance at his side he saw that 
she was fast asleep, and looked just as she looked for 
years. This was not the little child he had carried into* 
the house a few hours before, but his old Foumi, with 
her shrivelled face, her innumerable wrinkles, and her 
expression of unchanging kindness. Gently he wak¬ 
ened her. 

“What has happened?” she asked. “I dreamt I had 
become a tiny baby girl. How I suffered because I 
was unable to speak to you! And you seemed to be a 
young man, and were carrying me on your back. Was 
it a dream?” 

“No,” answered Yoshida, “for I remember it also. 
A few hours ago I was twenty, and I had found a baby 
Foumi near the fountain where, no doubt, she had 
drunk too much of the water of youth. And how she 
worried me, that baby Foumi!” 

“How did it all come to pass?” asked his wife. 

Yoshida pointed to the image of the little god 


168 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


Foukourokoujou. “I think,” said he, “that the little 
god wished to give us a lesson.” 

“Oh,” cried Foumi, “how I wish I might drink once 
more of the water of the blue spring! This time I 
would be more careful.” 

“Wife,” answered Yoshida, “I doubt if the spring 
still be there.” 

They took their way to the forest to make sure, and 
could find no trace either of the scarlet maple or of 
the spring. 

“Dear Foumi,” said the wood-chopper, “true wis¬ 
dom consists in cheerfully accepting what cannot be 
altered. The Fountain of Youth did not bring us the 
joy we desired. Let us cherish the happiness which is 
ours, and enjoy our old age together!” 

For a moment Foumi was silent, and then she re¬ 
plied, “You are right. There is nothing more beautiful 
than to see the cherry-trees break forth into blossom 
beneath the breath of spring. Yet when the blossoms 
have fallen all our regrets will not make them bloom 
again.” 


MIJA-DSIN-USIN, 

THE HUNDRED AND ONE TIMES 
BEAUTIFUL 

(A Kabyle Tale) 

O NCE upon a time there was a sultan who had an 
only son whom he loved dearly. But he feared 
if he allowed him to go out into the world some 
misfortune would befall him, so he kept him shut up 
in a room of his palace, and three times a day a negro 
slave-girl brought him his food. One day as she en¬ 
tered the room, the youth saw a bone sticking from 
her pocket, and when she bent to set his food before 
him, the bone fell to the ground. The youth picked 
it up and asked: “Is there good meat on the bone? 
“Yes,” answered the negress, “but the marrow in it is 
better still.” 

Then the youth ate the meat and then, in order to get 
at the marrow, struck the bone against the window to 
break it. And the window, which by the sultan’s or¬ 
ders had always been kept closed, flew open, and for the 
first time the youth saw the sky, and the courtyard be¬ 
fore the palace, and the people in the courtyard. 
Then the youth said to his father: “See, father, how 
169 


170 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


beautiful it is out in the world! Why have you kept 
me here a prisoner so long?” The sultan replied: 
“My son, I thought it would be better for you to re¬ 
main here!” But his son answered, “Father, I have 
seen the world now, and I would die if I were kept 
here!” And, finally, his father had to yield to his en¬ 
treaties and let him out. The following day he took 
a horse from his father’s stables, rode it all day long, 
and when he returned the horse was so weary that it 
died. And thus he did the day after, and the day after 
that, until he had worn out six horses. But on the 
seventh day his father gave him a horse foaled the same 
day that his son had been born, and the name of that 
horse was Wind and Lightning. 

The next day, when the youth was riding home, he 
passed a well, and there stood an old woman drawing 
water. The youth wished to let his horse drink and 
harshly said to the old woman: “Stand aside! Let my 
horse drink!” But the old woman answered, “Who 
are you to give me orders? One might think you had 
married the Hundred and One Times Beautiful!” The 
youth answered not a word, but he took note of the 
old woman’s remark and rode home. 

The following morning he begged his father to let 
him travel to the land of Mija-dsin-usin, the Hundred 
and One Times Beautiful, and after much hesitation 
the sultan granted his prayer, and gave him the horse 
Wind and Lightning, plenty of gold, and a negro slave 


MIJA-DSIN-USIN 


171 

to take with him on his journey. Then the youth, trav¬ 
elling many days, at last came to the city in which the 
father of Mija-dsin-usin reigned as sultan, and as he 
entered he saw a woman who dwelt near the city gate, 
and asked her: “Can you lodge me, my horse and my 
negro slave?” But the woman at first was unwilling. 
Not until the youth offered her a round sum of gold 
would she consent to take him in, and allow the negro 
to care for his horse. The woman then prepared a 
good meal, and the youth ate, and when he had eaten he 
said to her: “Mother, where is the house of Mija- 
dsin-usin, the Hundred and One Times Beautiful?” 
Then the woman was frightened and answered: “Her 
father is the sultan, and dwells in this city. It costs 
dear even to speak the name of Mija-dsin-usin here, 
for her father has the heads cut off of all those who 
utter her name!” 

Said the youth: “Mother, I only want to know 
where Mija-dsin-usin lives! Show me her house and 
I will give you gold uncounted.” “Very well,” replied 
the old woman: “Follow me to-morrow when I go 
out, and you shall see it.” 

So the next day the old woman took a staff and a 
basket and went through the city begging, and the 
youth followed her. And when she was in front of a 
certain house she stumbled and fell, and when she 
picked herself up she whispered to the youth: “Did 
you notice where I fell?” And he answered: “Yes, 


172 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

I noted the house,” and then the old woman told him: 
“That was the house after which you inquired.” 

“Mother, there is something else I would like to 
know,” the youth then went on to say, “and that is 
whether a clever woman is to be found in this city?” 
The old woman replied: “There is a Jewish silversmith 
here, and his wife is the most cunning woman in town. 
Many people visit his shop.” Then the youth said: 
“Then his shop will be the very place for me to visit.” 
At sundown he went to the silversmith’s shop and sat 
down quietly in a corner. A number of persons came 
in, talked and went out again, but the youth spoke to 
none of them. When night had fallen, he rose, laid a 
bag of five hundred golden duros on the silversmith’s 
table, and went out. 

The following day the youth again sought the silver¬ 
smith’s shop, again he seated himself in his corner, 
said not a word, and again, when he left, he laid a bag 
of five hundred golden duros on the silversmith’s table. 
And thus the youth went in and out of the silversmith’s 
shop for a number of days. At last, one day, the silver¬ 
smith said to his wife, “Every evening a youth comes 
into the shop, seats himself in a corner and says never 
a word. But when he goes he always leaves a bag with 
five hundred golden duros with me.” The woman 
answered, “If he comes to-morrow evening, invite him 
to supper.” On the following day the youth appeared, 
and seated himself quietly in his corner without saying a 


MIJA-DSIN-USIN 


173 


word, and as he was about to go out again laid down the 
bag of five hundred gold duros on the silversmith’s 
table. But this time the silversmith stopped him and 
said: “Stay and eat supper with us to-night!” And the 
youth stayed. And after he had eaten, the silversmith’s 
wife said to him: “What brings you to this city, and 
how is it you give my husband a bag of five hundred 
gold duros every day, without telling him why?” 

Said the youth: “I wish to get into the house of 
Mija-dsin-usin.” Then the silversmith cried: “Ask 
for my right eye and I will give it to you, but do not 
ask to enter Mija-dsin-usin’s house!” But his wife 
said: “Why should it be impossible? Make a long 
cedar chest, long enough to hold this youth, and on it 
place the figure of a gazelle, worked in gold and silver. 
Let the chest be carried through the city, and offered 
for sale for a thousand pieces of gold. None will be 
rich enough to buy it save the sultan himself. And 
thus the youth will get into the house.” 

On the following day the silversmith made the cedar 
chest with its gazelle wrought of gold and silver, and 
the youth lay down on it. Then he had it carried 
through the streets of the city, but none had the money to 
buy it. Word of it came to the sultan, however, and he 
sent for it. After examining it he bought it for a 
thousand pieces of gold. And thus chest and youth 
came into the house of Mija-dsin-usin, the Hundred 
and One Times Beautiful. 


174 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

Now every day a negress brought Mija-dsin-usin her 
meals in the subterranean chamber in which she dwelt. 
On the day when the chest was brought into the house 
the negress found Mija-dsin-usin asleep on her couch, 
at whose foot stood a silver and at whose head a golden 
lamp. When the negress entered with the food, Mija- 
dsin-usin awoke and asked: “What is there new in the 
house?” “Your father has bought the cedar chest with 
the gazelle,” answered the slave. “Yes, something new 
happens for others every day,” answered Mija-dsin- 
usin,” sadly, “and my father can ride through the streets 
of the city every day in the week. But I have been shut 
up in this underground chamber since my childhood, 
and all I see is the silver lamp at my feet and the golden 
lamp at my head.” And then Mija-dsin-usin wept bit¬ 
terly. So the negress went to the sultan and said to 
him: “Your daughter is weeping because she never 
sees anything of the world. I had told her you had 
bought the cedar chest with the gazelle.” And the 
sultan replied: “Have the chest carried down into my 
daughter’s chamber. It may give her pleasure.” 

So the chest was brought down, and Mija-dsin-usin 
was happy for the rest of the day, and when evening 
came she fell asleep. And when the negress had left 
her, the youth came forth from the chest and ate some 
of the beautiful maiden’s food, changed the lamps— 
placing the silver lamp at the head of her couch and 


MIJA-DSIN-USIN 


175 


the golden one at its foot—and once more lay down in 
the chest. And after a time Mija-dsin-usin awoke and 
felt like eating. And then she noticed that some one 
had eaten of her food, and also that the silver lamp 
had been placed at the head of her couch and the 
golden one at its foot. At once she ran to her mother, 
and told her what had happened, and her mother said: 
“To-morrow I shall bring in your meals myself l” And 
the following day she brought Mija-dsin-usin her meals 
herself, but found her sleeping and left her so. 

When Mija-dsin-usin awoke this time she found that 
some one had again been at her meal, and again had 
changed the lamps of silver and gold. Then Mija-dsin- 
usin looked at the cedar chest from every side and said 
never a word, but the following night when she lay down 
on her couch and closed her eyes, she did not sleep. And 
as she watched she saw the youth climb carefully out of 
the chest, eat a little of her food, and take the golden 
lamp from the head of her couch and place it at its 
foot. Then, when he was about to take the silver lamp 
and place it at its head, Mija-dsin-usin leaped up and 
held him and cried: “Who are you and what do you 
want?” The youth replied: “You are the daughter 
of a sultan and I am a sultan’s son. I have come here 
to see you and win your hand in marriage.” Mija- 
dsin-usin, the Hundred and One Times Beautiful, was 
happy beyond all measure when she heard him say this, 


x 7 6 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

and they ate together and talked together, and when 
the youth heard the negress coming he slipped back 
again into his chest. 

Thus it went for seven days, and the youth said: 
“I have my negro slave and my horse here in town. 
I wish to look for them, and then see your father and 
ask him to give you to me as wife.” And Mija-dsin- 
usin cried: “But how will you be able to get out of 
this subterranean chamber without any one being the 
wiser?” So the youth told her: “I will break off one 
of the gazelle’s feet. Then I will lie down in the chest, 
and you must cry, and ask your father to send the chest 
to the silversmith and have the broken foot repaired.” 

The youth hid himself in the chest, and when the 
negress came Mija-dsin-usin was weeping and said: 
“My gazelle has broken a foot! Is there no one who 
can put it on again?” So the negress ran to the sultan 
and told him his daughter was weeping and why. 
And the sultan said: “My daughter Mija-dsin-usin 
need weep no longer. Send the chest with the gazelle 
to the Jewish silversmith and he shall make what is 
broken whole again.” 

So slaves were called and they carried the cedar 
chest with the gazelle of gold and silver to the silver¬ 
smith’s shop, and there the youth slipped out and went 
to the house of the woman with whom he had left his 
negro slave and his horse. Then he mounted his horse, 
rode to the sultan’s palace and entered it. The sultan, 


MIJA-DSIN-USIN 177 

who was seated on a costly rug, rose to greet the hand¬ 
some youth. 

The youth seated himself on the rug beside the sul¬ 
tan and said to him: “I have come to ask your 
daughter’s hand in marriage.” To which the sultan 
replied: “I have no daughter.” Then the youth rose 
and said: “You have a daughter, and her name is Mija- 
dsin-usin. Yet if you do not wish to give her to me in 
marriage, know that if you are a sultan I am a sul¬ 
tan’s son, and that I will leave you in enmity.” Said 
the sultan: “If I have a daughter tell me where she 
is.” And the youth answered: “She lives in a sub¬ 
terranean chamber beneath the very mat on which you 
are sitting.” Then the sultan said: “Do you see those 
two sacks full of iron standing yonder? If you can lift 
them and throw them backward over your shoulder, 
then my daughter shall be your wife.” And the youth 
took the two sacks full of iron, lifted them high in the 
air, and flung them over his shoulder. 

Said the sultan: “I see that you are a strong man!” 
Pointing out of the window, he showed the youth the 
walls and towers of a city in the distance, and added: 
“That is the capital of my enemy. If you can conquer 
and subdue him my daughter shall be your bride.” 
And the youth replied: “It shall be done.” He called 
his negro, rode out to the city of the sultan’s enemy, 
challenged its ruler to single combat and overcame 
him. 


178 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

Thereupon the sultan gave his daughter Mija-dsin- 
usin to the sultan’s son in marriage. And after the wed¬ 
ding festivities the youth begged the sultan to allow him 
to return to his own country with his bride. “Your re¬ 
quest is just,” answered the sultan, “I will accompany 
you.” So the youth returned to his own land with his 
father-in-law and his bride, and the former remained 
with him for seven days. 

When the seven days were up his father-in-law said 
to the youth: “Now I will return. Do you loan me 
a horse.” And his son-in-law replied: “I have more 
than one good horse, choose whichever one you prefer.” 
Said his father-in-law: “There is but one horse among 
them all that I should like to ride. Loan me Wind and 
Lightning!” So the sultan’s son had Wind and Light¬ 
ning saddled and led out. And his father-in-law 
mounted Wind and Lightning and said farewell to the 
youth. But he had asked for Wind and Lightning 
with an object, seeing that he could not bear to give 
up his daughter. And he called his daughter Mija- 
dsin-usin, the Hundred and One Times Beautiful, to 
him and said to her: “Give me your hand once more 
in farewell!” Then, when Mija-dsin-usin stepped to 
the horse’s side her father grasped her hand and said: 
“My daughter, see that you are a good wife to your 
husband and, what is more, an even better daughter to 
your father I” And with that he swung her up on 
Wind and Lightning and rode off with her. There 


MIJA-DSIN-USIN x 79 

were wild cries and shouts, and those in the courtyard 
flung themselves on steeds and galloped in pursuit; yet 
since there was not another horse equal to Wind and 
Lightning in speed, the sultan and his daughter could 
not be caught. 

When his father saw that grief had taken possession 
of him, his heart was moved by pity for his bereaved 
son. He took him by the hand and led him to the 
seven subterranean chambers, the thaserapth, beneath 
his fruit-orchard, where he kept his treasures of gold 
and silver and precious stones. There he chose among 
them a plain golden ring engraved with words of power 
and said to his son: “Ride far out into the desert, where 
there is naught but the sky above and around you, and 
the sand beneath your feet. There turn the ring on 
your finger three times and wish that Mija-dsin-usin be 
restored to you. And if she has not forgotten you—for 
if she has the power of the ring is of no avail—she will 
appear.” 

So the youth mounted a horse, girded on his sword 
and rode out into the desert. For days and days he rode 
until he saw only the sky above and around him, and the 
sand beneath his feet. There he dismounted and turn¬ 
ing the ring on his finger three times cried: “O Mija- 
dsin-usin, the Hundred and One Times Beautiful, come 
back to me, that happiness may once more be my por¬ 
tion!” But the skies remained empty and the figure 
of Mija-dsin-usin did not rise from the desert sands. 


180 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

And the heart of the sultan’s son was filled with despair 
and he thought to himself, “Mija-dsin-usin has for¬ 
gotten me, and the magic of the ring has no power over 
her!” And he was about to lie down on the sand and 
wait for release from a life he no longer valued when 
far, far in the distance he saw a tiny speck on the sky¬ 
line. It drew nearer and nearer, and at last he saw that 
it was a dove. The bird’s wings moved feebly and 
wearily, as though it had come a great distance, and 
finally it fluttered to earth and lay panting at his feet. 
Then the heart of the sultan’s son, in spite of his own 
grief and despair, was moved to pity. “Poor bird,” he 
said, “perhaps you, too, are seeking a mate whom you 
have lost, and can never hope to find!” And he bent 
down and gently stroked its snowy feathers. 

And lo, the minute his fingers touched the dove, it 
disappeared, and there stood Mija-dsin-usin, the Hun¬ 
dred and One Times Beautiful, and smiled on him! 
And in that moment the sultan’s son'forgot all his sor¬ 
rows. He swung her on his horse and rode home with 
her, and there they lived ever after in untroubled joy 
and happiness. 


THE AZURE LILY 
(A Tale of Saracen Sp ain) 

T ONG, long before the displeasure of Allah was 
-L* visited upon the Faithful in the pleasant land of 
Andalusia, and Abu Abdullah the Unlucky was driven 
forth from the palaces and gardens of Granada, the 
Sultan Sidi Leafar Ben Egnemoc reigned over the king¬ 
dom of Valencia. Great was the power and magnifi¬ 
cence of Sidi Leafar. At his command architects 
adorned his capital with fountains and palaces and with 
mosques whose towers gleamed with tiles of blue and 
gold, and whose domes seemed made of clouds; while 
none could tell whether the fountains were marble in 
movement or water held motionless. In his youth the 
Sultan Sidi Leafar had been a mighty warrior, but now 
that age had seamed his black beard with silver hairs, 
though he still followed the chase, he spent much of his 
time in the fragrant gardens of his palace. There he 
quaffed rosoli, that pleasant drink flavored with cinna¬ 
mon, told the beads of his rosary, and praised the name 
of Allah, the All-Beneficent. Truly the Sultan Sidi 
Leafar was a happy man, and not the least among his 
joys were his three handsome sons, Soliman, Yusouf 
181 


182 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


and Mohamed, horsemen swift as the hurricane and his 
faithful vassals. 

Now one day the Sultan dreamed a dream, in which 
he saw a divine vision revealed to him. He dreamt that 
he beheld a houri descending from Allah’s Gardens of 
Delight. In a distant corner of the earth she deposited 
the seed of a flower whose chalice held the secret of hap¬ 
piness. In his dream the Sultan saw the houri come 
down from the skies, saw her alight on the earth like a 
butterfly and, bestowing on the seed the sacred kiss 
which the Prophet—Blessed be his name!—had con¬ 
fided to her in parting, hide it in the ground. In vain 
did the Sultan, when he awoke, break his head trying 
to solve the riddle of his dream. Finally he called in 
his astrologers and his santons and told them of it, and 
all agreed that the dream must have a definite meaning, 
since the Prophet Mohammed would not make a mock 
of his illustrious descendant. They even told him 
more: reading and rereading the sacred books, they 
found a prophecy which predicted that a sultan’s son 
would one day discover the secret Flower of Happiness. 
Sidi Leafar was so greatly astonished by these mysteri¬ 
ous revelations, and they so completely took possession 
of his mind and his attention that his sultana, his fa¬ 
vorite horses, his choicest hunting javelins and even his 
rosoli were all neglected, for he could think of nothing 
else. 

A year went by and then Allah, the Compassionate, 


THE AZURE LILY 


183 


took pity on the brooding Sultan. Breathing the breath 
of knowledge upon him, he made him aware that the 
flower born of the seed of Paradise was an Azure Lily, 
a lily of purest blue> neither grooved with white nor 
veined with rose or mulberry-color, but totally and en¬ 
tirely blue, as blue as a turquoise-stone, as blue as the 
sky or the sea when it is calm. Its color was a beautiful, 
uniform, distinct, perfect and unique blue. The divine 
mercy of Allah even went so far as to reveal to the 
Sultan Sidi Leafar that the Azure Lily, already open¬ 
ing its petals in the freshening coolness of the breeze, 
was to be found growing near a river called the River 
of the Sands, awaiting the prince who, once he had 
grasped it, would hold the happiness of the world in 
his hand. 

Much had happened during the year just past: the 
infidels were advancing toward the kingdom of Sidi 
Leafar; fierce west winds had beaten down the standing 
wheat, and hunger as well as war threatened. A flam¬ 
ing comet had announced the coming of pestilence and 
the unchaining of Allah’s wrath. The Azure Lily, 
therefore, was a flower much to be desired, and the 
Sultan, after praying a long time with his face turned 
toward Mecca, the holy city, summoned his three sons. 
Taking each of the three princes apart, one after the 
other, he spoke as follows: 

“My son! Allah alone is great. He casteth down 
the proud and raiseth up the lowly. Close by the River 


184 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

of the Sands grows a flower born of the Prophet’s kiss. 
Its chalice holds the secret of happiness, and he who 
becomes the possessor of the Azure Lily will be happy, 
and bring happiness to his land and his people. The 
flower may only be plucked by one in whose veins runs 
the blood of kings. I am your father and my kingdom 
is in dire need of happiness. So go and search for the 
Azure Lily by the River of the Sands, O son of mine! 
Take with you my blessing, and may Allah have you 
in his guard!” 

* * * * * 

Soliman, Yusouf and Mohamed straightway took 
their departure. A mere request from their father was 
for them a command, and his mandate was like a pre¬ 
cept from the Koran, an order to be fulfilled with ven¬ 
eration and respect. On the twelfth day of the month 
Chaaban they set forth from their father’s kingdom 
and sallied out in search of the River of the Sands. 
Chance was their only guide, and chance is like a path 
in the water, whose traces are erased by every passing 
breeze. 

How beautiful had been the land of the Sultan, their 
father, before the wrath of Allah had overtaken it! 
The wheat grew on its wide plains like an ocean with 
emerald waves. At intervals palm trees, their trunks 
like columns adorned with carvings, raised their heads 
crowned with clusters of golden fruit. Oranges 
gleamed amid the dark green foliage like sparks among 


THE AZURE LILY 


185 


embers. The silvery olive-trees climbed the sloping 
hills, driving before them the pines which timidly fled 
from their advance. In grange and in orchard trees 
brought from Farsistan displayed their appetizing 
fruits, which seemed to unite concentrated balsam and 
exquisite aroma in natural containers. Below, on earth, 
all was verdue and vegetation; above spread a sky pure 
and serene! 

The three princes rode on their way together until, 
reaching a little stream, Soliman, who wanted the 
Flower of Happiness for himself, proposed that they 
separate and each seek the Azure Lily alone. To this 
the others readily agreed and Soliman at once rode off 
in the direction of the North Star, while Yusouf turned 
his horse’s head in the direction of the Orient. 
Mohamed, however, seeing that the hour of twilight 
was at hand, dismounted to say his prayer. Mohamed 
was the youngest of the princes, having just attained his 
eighteenth year, and the down which was beginning to 
cover his face could not conceal the charm of his hand¬ 
some features. 

No sooner had Mohamed ended his prayer than he 
was seized with a sudden and overpowering desire to 
sleep. His heavy eyes closed, yet in spite of the fact a 
thousand shapes and images were revealed to his slum¬ 
bering vision. He saw a chain of beautiful houris, their 
arms intertwined, descending from the skies. The 
large, dark eyes of these children of the Gardens of 


186 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


Delight were smiling, and all were singing a celestial 
song. The place and position of each link in this living 
chain of beauty was constantly changing, and the ex¬ 
pression of each face changed as well; but the linea¬ 
ments of every face still remained the same, and showed 
the features of one and the same woman, repeated over 
and over again. The first houri of this endless series 
appeared to be sleeping and was using the sun for a 
cushion; the last was playing upon earth with an Azure 
Lily. The chain of houris began with the delicacy of 
some wonderful fragrance and ended in the purest light. 
In the middle it was filled with the divine music of 
celestial throats, lovely caskets of rosy coral enclosing 
iridescent pearls of tone. 

“I have eaten no hashish,” said Mohamed to himself, 
“nor has any dog of an infidel made me drink the fer¬ 
mented juice of the grape. Why, O dream, dost thou 
make a mock of my despair? Ah, were I but awake and 
the flower I so much desire within reach of my hand, 
would I not grasp it!” 

Now the dark-eyed houris redoubled their alluring 
gestures and tender songs, and the last of the chain— 
the loveliest of all—whose body gleamed like that of an 
archangel, took the Azure Lily, the Flower of Happi¬ 
ness, between her small, white, tapering fingers and, 
smiling as none but a houri can smile, held it near 
Mohamed’s face. 

The young prince made a desperate effort, stretched 


THE AZURE LILY 


187 


out his arm and seized the flower. At once the houris 
disappeared and he awoke. The Azure Lily was grow¬ 
ing by his side, and he held the stalk of the mysterious 
flower in his hand. 

Soon after the gallop of two steeds fell upon his ear. 
Soliman and Yusouf arrived, mounted on their fiery 
steeds. 

“What has happened?” they asked. “We heard 
mysterious songs, the sound of seraph wings! What 
has happened? What are you holding in your hand?” 

“The Flower of Happiness, born of the Prophet’s 
kiss!” answered Mohamed. 

“What!” cried Yusouf. “You have found it?” 

“Yes!” 

“Soliman, we are disgraced! Let us slay him and 
bring the Flower to our father 1 We are princes as well 
as he is, and it will not lose its virtues in our hands.” 

“Spare me, spare me!” cried their brother. But there 
was no pity in the hearts of the other princes. Baring 
their scimitars, they did away with Mohamed. And 
when they had done so they buried him on the margin 
of the river, in the sand, in order to hide all trace of 
their crime. 

* * * * * 

In due time the gift of Mohammed, the Flower of 
the Prophet, reached the kingdom of the Sultan Sidi 
Leafar Ben Egnemoc and was solemnly placed within 
a golden chalice in the Mihrab. The princes who had 


188 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


brought the magic talisman were loaded with gifts and 
praises; zembras and festivities, joustings with reeds 
and bull-fights were the order of the day, and in the 
general rejoicing the absence of Mohamed, the young¬ 
est of the princes, was scarcely noticed. 

Yet in vain were all the festivals and rejoicings: the 
gift of the Prophet seemed more productive of misfor¬ 
tune than of happiness. The infidels took a number of 
Moorish fortresses, putting their garrisons to the sword; 
and soon the kingdom was in the greatest peril. And 
not alone the infidel sword, but hunger and pestilence 
as well decimated the Faithful. The omen of the blaz¬ 
ing comet was fulfilled, and the Azure Lily seemed as 
evil in its influence as the star which had served as Al¬ 
lah’s messenger. 

And then it was that one day a little shepherd lad, 
playing a reed flute, wandered into the great square of 
the Sultan Sidi Leafar’s capital. But whenever he 
raised his flute to his lips instead of wordless musical 
sounds it gave forth articulate song. From its frail 
body issued no mere harmonious notes: instead it sang 
with a human voice, and all who heard it were seized 
with terror. 

For the flute sang : “Play, play, good shepherd, but 
do not speak my name, who was slain by the River of 
the Sands for the sake of the Azure Lily!” 

The Cadi at once had the little shepherd haled into 
the presence of the Sultan Sidi Leafar. And there, be- 


THE AZURE LILY 


189 


fore the Sultan, the miracle of the marketplace was re¬ 
peated. But the Sultan Sidi Leafar had lost faith in 
mysterious and supernatural things. Suspecting that 
the shepherd wished to amuse himself at his expense, he 
tore the flute from him and gave it to his son, Soliman, 
to play. The latter took it with trembling hand, and no 
sooner had he placed it to his lips than the mysterious 
voice sang: 

“Play, play, evil prince! You who play me will not 
name me, for you slew me by the River of the Sands for 
the sake of the Azure Lily!” 

“By the beard of Allah, what may this mean?” cried 
Soliman, half-dead with fear. 

But the Sultan said: “It is now your turn to play 
the flute now, Yusouf!” 

“No, father,” replied Yusouf, terrified, “no, we are 
lost! This flute accuses us of our crime. It is true that 
Soliman and I did our brother Mohamed to death near 
the River of the Sands, in order to rob him of the en¬ 
chanted flower. Judge me, if you will, but let me con¬ 
fess what I have done!” 

“Wretches!” cried the Sultan. “You are to blame for 
all our misfortunes and the ruin of the kingdom. I 
shall forget* that I am a father and only remember 
that I am a ruler. And now lead me to the spot where 
you slew my poor Mohamed.” 

When the Sultan Sidi Leafar and his sons reached 
the bank of the River of the Sands, they found that a 


igo FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

small cluster of reeds had sprung up above the spot 
where Mohamed had been hidden away. It was one of 
these reeds that the little shepherd had cut to make 
him his flute. And thereupon the Sultan Sidi Leafar 
had justice meted out to his two wicked sons. 

It is not known—for are there not many things which 
are known to Allah alone?—whether a drop of the life- 
fluid of the two guilty princes fell upon the Flower of 
Happiness and sullied its celestial azure. It is certain, 
however, that since that time botanists have vainly 
sought for an Azure Lily, a lily entirely and completely 
blue, as blue as a turquoise-stone, as blue as the sky or 
the sea when it is calm. And because the Azure Lily 
cannot be found it is useless for any mortal to try and 
find entire and untroubled happiness here upon earth. 
Blessed be the name of Allah, the Compassionate, to 
whom alone are revealed all hidden things! 


THE KNOTTED NOSE 


[A Mongolian Tale) 

M ANY, many years ago, in a certain city in Western 
India, there lived two brothers. Since the older 
of the brothers had little or nothing he could call his 
own, people did not think much of him; and he and his 
wife managed to keep body and soul together selling 
the healing herbs she culled and the firewood he 
chopped in the forest. The younger brother, on the 
other hand, was rich. He possessed the seven posses¬ 
sions of value—gold, silver, lapis-lazuli, crystal, red 
pearls, diamonds and corals—but kept his riches care¬ 
fully for himself, and never so much as gave a copper 
coin to his poor older brother. 

Once the younger brother decided to give a great 
feast, to which he invited all the leading men of the 
city, but neglected to ask his older brother, who thus 
lost the rare chance of enjoying a plentiful meal. When 
the older brother came home on the night of the festival 
his wife said: “Your brother has not invited us to his 
great feast. One might as well be dead as never get 
enough to eat!” 

“Very well,” said the older brother, for he had been 
191 


192 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

deeply hurt, “then I will die.” ^ Picking up his axe and 
a length of rope, he left the city. He wandered on and 
on, crossing many hills, and finally came to the edge of 
a great forest where numerous lions, tigers and other 
beasts of prey were drinking on the banks of a broad 
river. Avoiding the wild beasts, he followed the wind¬ 
ings of the river, and at length, quite suddenly, found 
himself standing before a tremendous mountain wall 
of rock. And there, peering through the bushes which 
hid him from view, the older brother, his eyes and ears 
wide open, beheld a number of ragini, the beautiful 
spirits of the tones and melodies which fill the upper 
air, floating up and down on their great white wings to 
the sound of glorious music. 

Then one spirit suddenly rose into the air straight 
along the great wall of rock, and soon flew back with 
a sack which she had drawn from an opening half-way 
up its towering height. In the presence of the others, 
who crowded about her, she drew an iron hammer from 
the sack and at once began to beat the sack with the 
hammer. And while she beat, she called out the names 
of all sorts of delicious foods, or garments and other ob¬ 
jects. Whatever she called for came out of the sack at 
her bidding. And when she had coaxed forth a splen¬ 
did meal for the many spirits from the sack, she called 
forth gold, silver and jewels, diadems, fluttering scarves 
of silk, and other precious objects, until the older 


THE KNOTTED NOSE 


*93 

brother, watching in the bushes, could hardly believe 
the riches he saw were real. 

The ragini feasted, then draped themselves in the 
beautiful colored silks and, after they had danced, they 
spread their wings and disappeared in the air. The 
spirit who had brought down the sack rose in the air 
and restored it to its hiding-place, and then flew off 
after her companions to the echo of celestial music. 

When the older brother left the bushes and came to 
the place where the ragini had feasted, not a sign of 
their presence was left. But he had noticed the hole in 
the rock where the one spirit had hidden the sack. So 
he cut down some trees, made a ladder of them, climbed 
up the rock and brought down the sack. Then he took 
out the hammer, and as he beat the sack he thought, “I 
wish every good thing to eat would at once appear1” 
And sure enough, they came tumbling out of the sack, 
one after another, and the older brother enjoyed a meal 
such as he had never before eaten in all his life. And 
when he had eaten he returned home, carrying the sack 
over his shoulder and holding the hammer in his hand. 

His poor wife had thought him dead, and was 
mourning for him when he entered his house. “D<onot 
weep,” said her husband; “I have brought something 
back with me which will keep us both alive!” So he 
showed her the bag, and how, when it was beaten with 
the hammer, it would yield whatever was asked of it, 


i 9 4 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


food and garments, jewels and gold. So the older 
brother gave up his woodchopping, and his wife let 
the herbs grow as and how it pleased them, and they 
lived in peace and in plenty. 

But the townspeople put their heads together, and 
began to gossip. “How is it,” they said, “that this man 
has grown wealthy overnight? He used to be grateful 
if one bought a load of firewood of him; now he spends 
gold as though it burned his fingers.” And the news 
came to the ears of the younger brother’s wife, and she 
said to her husband, “I am afraid your older brother 
has managed, in one way or another, to steal some of 
our treasure. Else how would he have grown rich so 
suddenly?” 

“I will look into it,” answered her husband, and he 
went to his brother’s home and said to him: “How did 
you get all this gold? If you have stolen it from me, I 
shall report it to the king, and as you know thieves are 
severely punished in this land.” So the older brother 
told him how he had gone to a far, far place in the 
forest, meaning to die there, but that instead he had 
found the sack and the hammer and had brought them 
home. And he told the tale of all that had befallen 
him. 

“Where is this place? Tell me how to reach it,” 
eagerly said the younger brother, and the older brother 
told him. So the younger brother returned to his home, 
took an axe and a length of rope and went through the 


THE KNOTTED NOSE 


195 


forest until he came to the wall of rock. And when he 
got there he found the ragini drawn up in eight ranks, 
their wings drooping, and all howling in chorus in the 
most heart-breaking way. As soon as they caught sight 
of the younger brother they seized him before he could 
escape. 

“This must be the fellow who robbed us of our sack!” 
they shouted, and “Kill him! Kill him!” was the cry 
raised on all sides. “No,” said one of the ragini, “do 
not kill him. I know of a better plan. Let us change 
his appearance in such a way that he will be ashamed 
to go among his fellowmen.” And to this they all 
agreed. 

“We will draw out his nose until it is very, very long, 
until it trails on the ground, and then we will tie nine 
knots in it,” said the spirit who had spoken before, and 
who was none other than the one who had brought out 
and replaced the sack in its hiding-place in the rock. 
No sooner was this said than it was done, and after 
tying the nine knots in the younger brother’s nose all 
the ragini at once disappeared. 

Dragging his nose after him the younger brother re¬ 
turned home, and when his wife caught sight of him as 
he came in through the door, she was so frightened that 
she jumped out of the window and started to run away. 
“Do not run away,” cried the younger brother, “it is I, 
your husband. But I have been unfortunate in poking 
my nose into this business of the magic sack. I do not 


196 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

wish to go on living with my nose in its present shape, 
and have made up my mind to die.” 

But his wife answered: “There must be some way in 
which your nose can be restored to its former shape. 
Not far from here, in a grotto in the rocks, there lives 
a holy lama, given up to a life of contemplation. He 
shall advise us.” 

“Send for him if you wish,” said her husband; “I 
will receive his blessing and depart from this world. 

When the lama came, the younger brother had con¬ 
cealed his nose beneath the bed-clothes. But the lama 
insisted on seeing it. When it was shown to him, how¬ 
ever, with all its nine knots, he was at first so frightened 
that he, too, wanted to run away. He told them he 
could not advise them out of hand, but that he would 
consult the sacred books, and perhaps they would tell 
him how the knots might be untied. 

When the lama returned the next morning, he said 
solemnly: “Only by means of your older brother’s 
hammer and sack can the knots in your nose be untied.” 
So the younger brother’s wife sent for the older 
brother, and begged him to come to her house and bring 
his sack and hammer with him. But he trusted neither 
his brother nor his brother’s wife, and before he would 
go to their house they had to swear that they would 
make no attempt to rob him of his precious belongings. 

When he was led to his younger brother’s couch the 
latter said to him: “You see what has happened to me! 


THE KNOTTED NOSE 


197 


Take what you will of my treasures, but touch the knots 
with your hammer so they will come untied, and my 
nose be restored to its former shape. If you will do 
this I will give you half my lands and my fortune.’’ 
The older brother made him swear to this agreement, 
sign and seal it, and then he set to work. 

He took the magic hammer in his hand, swung it 
around his brother’s nose and cried: “May the knots 
of the eight spirit legions come undone!” And whem 
ever he swung his hammer one of the knots in his 
younger brother’s nose came undone. At last but a 
single knot remained. Seeing this the younger 
brother’s wife thought to herself: “What a pity it 
would be if we had to hand over half our land and 
treasure! It is mere child’s play to undo the knots.” 
So she called out to the older brother, “Never mind 
about unloosing the last knot! Wait! Wait!” 

“Ah,” said the older brother, “you want to break 
your promise!” And off he went with the magic ham¬ 
mer. As he went he said to himself, “She will see that 
the last knot is not so easily undone, after all!” But 
the younger brother’s wife had followed him, walking 
softly on tip-toe, and just as he was about to enter his 
house, she snatched the magic hammer from his belt 
and ran off with it. 

“She has stolen my hammer!” cried the older brother, 
and hurried after her. But she had already disap¬ 
peared into her own home. 


198 fairy tales from the orient 

There she stood by her husband’s couch and cried 
“May the knot of the eight spirit legions come un¬ 
done!” And swung the hammer as the older brother 
had done. But, since she did not know how to handle 
it, instead of swinging it around her husband’s nose, 
she brought it down on his head with a thud, and that 
was the end of the younger brother. Then, according 
to law, the older brother received even more than half 
of the younger brother’s lands and treasures. 


/K 



* ' /t \ \ 

\v 






ROTHISEN AND KEO-FA 


{A Cambodian Tale) 

M ANY centuries ago, the divine Prince Rothisen, 
in another form and under another name, filled 
with the wisdom of his previous existences, took his 
way through the world in search of happiness. 

Glad at heart when he was able to help another fel¬ 
lowbeing, disdainful of passing pleasures, he rejoiced 
all whom he met with the kindness of his glance, which 
mirrored his soul; with his natural goodness, his inno¬ 
cence; and, finally, with a thousand gifts which Indra 
bestows on those who are destined to make glad the 
nations, an invisible halo of love which wins all souls. 

One day Prince Rothisen stopped at the bank of a 
stream of crystal water, and plucked a lotus-leaf from 
which to make a cup to quench his thirst. And as he 
stood there, a young slave-girl hastened to the water, 
bearing a jar in her bare arms. 

“Let me drink from your jar, maiden!” said the 
Prince. 

She dipped her jar in the stream and held it out to 
him. And when he had quenched his thirst he asked 
her, “Whither are you bearing water?” 

“I fill my jar for the bath of my mistress, the Prin- 

199 


200 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


cess Keo-Fa, who is beloved by all who approach her,” 
replied the maiden, and went her way. 

•* # * * * 

At the palace, while the slave-girl was pouring water 
over the head of the Princess Keo-Fa, she said: 

“While I was dipping water, a prince, a stranger 
with the kindest glance I have ever seen, begged me to 
let him quench his thirst from my jar, which I did.” 

And while she spoke, and the water ran down the 
Princess’ body, the latter felt a tiny object catch in her 
hair. Groping for it, she found that it was a ring. 
She hid it in her hand- and replied: 

“Return and fill your jar again. See whether the 
prince still be there, and tell me what he is doing.” 

And while the slave-girl returned to the stream where 
Rothisen had spoken to her, the Princess thought: 

“This marvellous jewel is surely the young prince’s 
ring. I can tell from what my servant reports whether 
he is an impertinent, who has purposely dropped the 
ring in the jar, or whether it fell from his hand while 
he was drinking, to announce the husband Indra has 
destined for me.” 

“When I came to the stream,” said the slave-girl on 
her return, “I found the prince in tears, searching in 
the grass for a ring which he had lost. He valued it 
above all others, for it was a magic ring given him 
by his mother, a ring that grants all wishes. He begged 
me to help him look for it.” 


ROTHISEN AND KEO-FA 


201 


Then the Princess Keo-Fa knew that the ring had 
come to her by Indra’s wish, and she told her servant 
to return once more to the prince and say to him: 

“Search no longer for the ring which you have lost! 
It shall be restored to you when you win the hand of 
the daughter of the king of this land, the Princess Keo- 
Fa. Hence do what you may to bring about that 
event!” 

* * * * * 

The Princess Keo-Fa’s father had thus far dis¬ 
couraged all pretenders to her hand. To make their 
suit impossible, he asked them questions which they 
could not answer, or required them to perform impos¬ 
sible tasks. Nor had the Princess herself shown any 
interest in the princes whom her beauty drew to her 
father’s court. 

When Prince Rothisen, however, appeared at court, 
and asked for Keo-Fa’s hand, the nobles were struck 
by his noble face, which seemed to reflect the highest 
qualities of heart and mind, and all murmured: “At 
last the suitor whom we wished to see has come.” 

And even the king thought: “Never yet have I seen 
a young man like this one. He is sure to please my 
child. Yet first I must subject him to a test which will 
put off the separation I dread.” 

He called for an enormous basket of rice to be 
brought him, and said to Rothisen: 

“Every one of these grains of rice has been marked, 


202 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

as you may see, and each grain has been counted. 
They shall now be scattered before your eyes in the 
palace gardens, and in the surrounding fields and 
woods. If, without a single one being missing, you 
bring them back to me to-morrow, I will admit that 
your request deserves consideration.” 

And it was done as he had said. Rothisen, bearing 
the empty basket, returned to the bank of the stream 
and having knelt, cried: 

“O all ye birds, and insects of the air, ye ants of the 
earth, do not devour the tiny grains of rice which have 
been scattered over the ground! Aid the love which 
fills my heart and put nothing in the way of my gain¬ 
ing my cherished wish! And thou, mighty Indra, if 
the Princess Keo-Fa was my companion in previous 
existences, let me win her hand, and make good in this 
life any wrongs I may have done her in another!” 

Suddenly, while he was speaking, joyous twitterings 
sounded among the branches of the trees. His prayer 
had been heard, and birds of every kind fluttered up, 
carrying in their beaks the grains of rice which had 
been scattered from the basket, until each and every 
grain had been restored. Prince Rothisen gently ca¬ 
ressed the birds and thanked them. 

The following day, astonished by Rothisen’s success, 
the king had the basket carried to the banks of the 
Great River, into which the grains of rice were flung, 
and then said to Rothisen: 



Prince Rothisen gently caressed the birds and thanked them 





























ROTH I SEN AND KEO-FA 


203 


“I wish each one of them returned to me to-morrow 1 ” 

Like the birds, the fishes were the servants of the 
favored of Indra, and hastened to return the grains. 

Yet when the count was made, the monarch said, 
“One grain of rice is missing. Return and search for 
it.” 

***** 

Seated by the river-bank, Rothisen called to the 
fishes: 

“Is it possible, O friends with silver scales, that a 
grain of rice has been lost? Search for it amid the 
sands and rocks in the bed of the stream, and even in 
the bodies of those beings who inhabit the stormy 
waters, and may not have heard my prayer. I can¬ 
not believe that one among you, evil of heart, has 
sought to steal it. My life’s happiness hangs on 
this little grain of rice. Be merciful and let me be 
happy I” 

All the fishes looked at each other with surprise; but 
one, who had hidden behind his companions, swam for¬ 
ward and said: 

“Forgive me, who am the guilty one! Here is the 
last grain. I took it thinking that my theft would pass 
unnoticed.” 

Then Rothisen, with the tip of his little finger, struck 
him gently across his snout. 

And suddenly his snout became curved, and has re¬ 
mained so in all the fish of his kind. And ever since, 


204 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

the fish who sinned against Indra’s favorite has been 
known as the “Crooknose.” Hundreds of years have 
passed since that day when Rothisen struck the fish, and 
yet the “Crooknose” is still unpardoned. 

Each year, however, his entire tribe, at the rainfall 
which precedes the rising of the stream, meet at 
Kierioul-Kidnva, near Pnom-Penh, in the Great River, 
to swim together to the temple of Angkor, there to 
bow before great Buddha’s statue and plead for for¬ 
giveness. 

Yet in the same place, to prevent them from gaining 
their end, gather men of the river country, Khmers, 
Youns, Chinese, even the Moslem Kiams, who do not 
follow divine Indra’s law. So well do they work to¬ 
gether to bar the Great River with their nets, that not 
a single fish is able to reach Angkor. Though the fish 
chose a favorable day, and rush forward suddenly in a 
strong column to break through the net, their efforts 
are vain. They are expected eight days in advance, 
and all are captured. The people laugh at their mis¬ 
fortune, and they serve to nourish all of Cambodia. 
***** 

When Rothisen, carrying the last grain of rice, ap¬ 
peared before the king, he excused himself so grace¬ 
fully for having lost time searching for it, that the 
monarch, captivated, spoke as follows: 

“O prince beloved of the heavens, I hope you may 
win my daughter’s hand! Yet as a final test, you must 


ROTHISEN AND KEO-FA 


205 

tell me, merely by seeing her little finger, which among 
all the maidens in my palace, is my daughter. 

“To-morrow, all the young daughters of my nobles 
and princes, all the women living in my palace, shall 
thrust their little fingers through small holes pierced 
in the wall of the great hall. You shall be led past 
the long row of these out-stretched fingers. And if, 
when you seize one of them, it turn out to be the finger 
of my beloved daughter, then the banquet shall be a 
wedding banquet. She shall be yours as well as all my 
kingdom, for in order never to be parted from my 
child, I will give you my crown and my treasures.” 

Rothisen, trembling with joy, a prayer in his heart, 
and without saying a word, passed along the line of 
the out-stretched little fingers the following day. Each 
one seemed more slender and delicate than the next, and 
there were hundreds and hundreds of them. 

At last he stopped before one of them. He had seen, 
wedged between nail and flesh, a single grain of rice! 
Rothisen knelt and seized the finger. At the same 
moment the gilded casement above it opened, and 
Rothisen, recognizing the magic ring he had lost, found 
himself in the presence of his betrothed. Tears of 
happiness moistened his eyes, he was raised by the king, 
who placed the Princess’ hand in his, and with the 
smile of the Princess Keo-Fa there came to his ears 
strains of celestial music and the festive acclamations 
of the court. 


THE LOVELY AREVAHATE 
{A Tale of the Caucasus) 

M ANY hundreds of years ago a certain king reigned 
in a kingdom on the other side of the Caucasus 
mountains. He possessed a countless amount of gold 
and silver, many flourishing cities, and innumerable 
host of soldiers, but the golden cradle in his palace 
stood empty, and the fact that he had no child destroyed 
all the pleasure he might have taken in his power and 
riches. 

One day while he was walking in his gardens, sad 
and lonely, he suddenly noticed a pretty little snake 
which, together with some baby snakes, was warming 
itself in the sun. One of the tiny serpents was wind¬ 
ing itself around its mother’s neck in play, a second 
was thrusting its head into her mouth, a third was 
caressing her with its little forked tongue. Hidden be¬ 
hind a bush the king watched them for some time and 
then cried, with a sigh: 

“Alas, even a snake can enjoy the love of its little 
ones! It takes pleasure in caressing them. And I, 
with a heart full of affection, have no child upon whom 
to spend it. I would be glad if I had even a little 
serpent to cherish and comfort me!” 

206 


THE LOVELY AREVAHATE 


207 


The king had spoken these words without reflection, 
and gave them no further thought. Yet, when he re¬ 
turned to his palace, there in the empty cradle lay a 
little snake. But the little snake did not long remain 
little. It grew and grew with frightful rapidity and 
in a short time became a veritable dragon. Then the 
queen and all the attendants in the room were ter¬ 
rified and ran away, while the poor dragon, finding it¬ 
self thus deserted, began to cry. But so terrible were 
the wails of the young dragon, so piercing were its 
howls that every one in the palace trembled. 

Until now no one had dared to tell the king that the 
empty cradle which stood in the queen’s room had sud¬ 
denly been filled with a young serpent. But when the 
cries of the snake-child he had wished for reached his 
ears, he asked the reason of the horrible noise and the 
courtiers were obliged to tell him. 

The king remembered his imprudent words and bit 
his fingers in his despair. Then he questioned his ser¬ 
vants, saying: “How large is this dragon? Is it as 
large as a man?” 

“O Sire,” the servants replied, “it has not as yet 
grown to man size, but it is growing so fast that it will 
soon be larger than a man!” 

The king considered for a moment. At length he 
said, with a sigh, “That which is must be. Serpent or 
dragon, this creature is my son. I must care for it 
and nourish it so that it does not die.” By his command 


208 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

all sorts of rich food was offered the dragon, but the 
creature refused to eat any of it, and continued to utter 

its frightful cries. 

* * * * * 

Then the king sent for all the wise men of the king¬ 
dom. “What should a serpent have to eat?” he asked 
them. “I do not wish it to die of starvation.” “Ac¬ 
cording to what I read in the books of wisdom,” replied 
one of the sages, “a dragon of this kind eats only young 
girls.” And with this opinion all the others agreed. 
In spite of his objection to seeing his son die of starva¬ 
tion, the king, who was kind and human, thought this 
a very cruel way of nourishment. However, in order 
to put the wise men to the test, he said, “Very well, I 
shall follow your advice. Let us begin with the 
daughter of the sage who spoke first, and then the 
daughters of all the rest of you, who have agreed with 
him, may take their turn.” 

Then the wise men were troubled and said to the 
king, “Sire, we are ready to sacrifice our daughters in 
order that your son may live. But what will you do 
once they are devoured? Do you think you will find 
all your subjects as loyal as we are? When you begin 
to ask the people for their daughters, they will revolt 
and you may lose your throne and your life. It would 
be better to send soldiers to other kingdoms to seize 
and carry off the girls and bring them hither.” 

The king did not approve of this advice. At the 


THE LOVELY AREVAHATE 


209 


same time he did not wish to let the dragon die. With¬ 
out a word he retired, for he did not know what he 
should do. And, evening having come, he went to rest 
^and after tossing restlessly on his couch for a long time, 
finally fell asleep. 

In his slumbers an old woman appeared to him. In 
spite of her age she was handsome and agreeable to 
look upon. Her silver hair shone like molten metal 
and her unwrinkled face gave forth a kind of light. 
What made her appear old was, together with her sil¬ 
ver hair, a pensive look, like that of some one who has 
seen many things and has pondered them all. Every¬ 
thing about her breathed kindness. 

“You have done well,” she said to the king, “to re¬ 
fuse to consent in your heart to the sacrifice of those 
innocent young girls. Yet I have come to tell you 
that—without any evil coming of it—you may follow 
the advice the wise men gave you. All the young 
maidens carried off by your soldiers shall be restored to 
their families, save one alone, and I will watch over 
her safety.” 

“And who may you be,” cried the king, “who bring 
me such a comforting message?” The apparition 
smiled. “I am Arevamair, the Mother of the Sun!” 
she replied. While she spoke these words her whole 
figure suddenly gave forth such a splendor of radiance 
that the king was dazzled. Before he could recover 
from his bewilderment, she had disappeared. 


210 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

When he awoke, full of confidence and hope, he de¬ 
clared himself ready to follow the advice of the wise 
men. So he sent out soldiers across the mountains 
which bordered his kingdom, ordering them to carry 
off a hundred young girls from the Armenian country 
and to return with them as quickly as possible. 

* * * * * 

While he awaited their return, the hungry dragon 
still refused all nourishment. At times it crawled 
about the great chamber which had been abandoned to 
it with terrible plaints and wails; at others it fell into 
a heavy slumber, only to awaken suddenly and resume 
its wailing. And while the servants in the king’s pal¬ 
ace went about in fear and trembling, the soldiers sent 
out by the king were drawing near an Armenian vil¬ 
lage not far from the mountains. 

In this village there lived a woman of a jealous and 
unkind disposition. She had a daughter of her own, 
as dark and homely as a prune-tree, named Mauchi, 
and a step-daughter, the lovely Arevahate, who was 
radiantly beautiful. The mother disliked Arevahate 
because of her beauty and blamed her for her 
daughter’s ugliness. All day long poor Arevahate 
was driven from one task to another. She had to bake 
the bread and wash the dishes, lead the cow to pasture 
and carry enormous bundles of hay. She was made 
to do these things in the hope that her fair complexion 
would become blackened, her hands coarse and 


THE LOVELY ARE V AH ATE 


211 


wrinkled, and her tall form bowed and bent. But 
Arevahate, strange to say, grew stronger and more 
beautiful day by day; while Mauchi, who spent the 
day doing nothing, like a young lady, instead of a vil¬ 
lage girl, grew more thin and homely than ever. 

Arevahate was not afraid of work, so the fact that 
her every minute was occupied did not make her un¬ 
happy. As soon as she had done her other tasks she 
wove silk thread on the loom in the house, or, if she 
went to fetch water, she took her knitting along. Then, 
while waiting her turn at the well, instead of gossip¬ 
ing with the other girls, her needles clicked busily. 

Arevahate was skilled in every way. She knew how 
to work the ground, dig a well, weave cloth, cut and 
sew stuffs, cook, make butter, and keep everything in 
order. In a word, she was a girl without an equal. 
But all this did not win her the good graces of her 
stepmother, who seized every opportunity to fling her 
on the ground, kick her, tear out her hair and other¬ 
wise maltreat her. 

Whenever her stepmother had abused her, lovely 
Arevahate went to the cemetery. There she knelt be¬ 
side her mother’s grave, cried herself out, and returned 
home more tranquil at heart. Sometimes she rested 
her head against the cherished grave, and fell asleep. 
Then her mother would appear to her in her dreams 
and she would fling her arms around her neck. And 
this mother-love which she rediscovered for a moment 


212 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

was her constant refuge. In her dreams her gentle 
mother consoled her, told her to continue to be good 
and to support her trials with courage, for the day was 
coming when all her troubles would be at an end. 

Then the maiden would rise strengthened. Once 
more she would feel calm and serene, would forget her 
sorrows and continue to flourish as the rose. 

When she gave to the poor, she did it so graciously 
that the beggar who received a trifle from her hand 
took more pleasure in it than in a rich offering, and 
wished her long days of cloudless joy. Every dumb 
creature rejoiced to see her. The domestic animals 
about the house showed their dislike for Arevahate s 
stepmother. The dog barked at her, the cow would 
not let her lead her to pasture, the bull gave her an 
ugly look, the horse reared and the goat and the sheep 
ran away. But these same animals, the good beasts, 
as soon as they saw Arevahate, surrounded her on all 
sides, caressing her, licking her hands, pushing each 
other out of the way in order to get closer to her. The 
cow of her own accord stood so that Arevahate could 
lead her to pasture. When she went for water the dog 
followed her, to defend her if necessary. 

Now a rumor spread through the village that every 
young girl who went to the fields alone disappeared 
and did not return. It w'as said that a dragon was 
devouring the young maidens of the countryside. 
Arevahate, who was always alone, knew nothing of 


THE LOVELY AREVAHATE 


213 


this danger, but her stepmother, who had heard of it, 
was filled with cruel joy. 

“I will send Arevahate to the pasture,” she said to 
herself, “and there she will be swallowed up by the 
dragon.” So one day she brought the cow and sheep 
to Arevahate and told her to lead them to pasture. 
“Here is some bread for a meal,” she said, “and a 
bundle of wool. Do not come back until evening and 
see that all the wool is spun.” 

The young girl drove the cow and the sheep before 
her until she reached a spot where the grass grew tall 
and lush. Seeing that no creature had yet been pas¬ 
tured there, she sat down on the ground and began to 
work, while the cow and sheep took their ease and 
cropped the grass and the dog, who had followed her, 
lay down beside her. 

The sun was about to sink when Arevahate had spun 
all her wool, and the young girl had risen in order to 
lead her beasts home when suddenly she saw a beauti¬ 
ful old woman standing beside her. She was the same 
who had appeared in a dream to the king whose son 
was a serpent. At once Arevahate moved in front of 
the dog to prevent his biting the stranger, but the old 
woman said with a smile: 

“Have no fear, Arevahate! The dog will not bite 
me. He knows very well that I am a friend. See 
how gladly he wags his tail?” 

“But tell me who you are?” said the young girl. “I 


214 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 
have never seen you. Surely you do not belong to our 
village?” 

“I come from no village,” replied the old woman. 
“I am not of this mortal world at all. I am the Mother 
of the Sun and am called Arevamair. Your suffer¬ 
ings have touched me and I have grown to love your 
innocence and your goodness. Kneel before me, for 
I wish to bless you, in order that your good wishes and 
longings may come true!” 

Much astonished at these words, Arevahate examined 
the old woman more attentively and saw that, in truth, 
she resembled no creature on earth. Rays of light like 
sunbeams darted from her eyes, though they did not 
injure the sight; and her manner of speech was so 
sweet, her voice so melodious, that Arevahate thought 
she was listening to her mother’s voice. Arevamair’s 
robes shone and glittered. They seemed to be formed 
of liquid molten gold and not of sewn or woven stuffs. 

Arevahate knelt down before the Mother of the Sun. 
She bent her head to kiss the hem of her robe, but the 
kind old woman, raising the young girl’s head, laid 
her hand upon it and blessed her, saying: 

“May the violets spring up beneath your feet! May 
your smile put the rose to blush! May your tears turn 
into pearls! May scorpion and serpent be powerless 
to harm you! May the crown rest upon your browl 
May your dwelling-place be a palace with walls of 
gold and silver, and a ceiling of precious stones! I 


THE LOVELY AREVAHATE 


215 

bless you, cherished maiden, that you may be protected 
from all evil, and promise that not a hair of your head 
shall be injured!” 

Having said this she added, as she embraced the 
young girl, “And may this kiss add to your beauty!” 

Then she gave her a small package which contained 
a robe. Ah, but what a wonderful robe it was! It 
was all starred with jewels and so fine in texture that 
it did not appear to be made of cotton or even silk, 
but of living sunbeams. 

“You must carry this robe upon your heart,” said 
Arevamair, “until the day of your wedding. On that 
day draw it forth and put it on. Remain pure and 
good and fear nothing. And now I must leave you, 
for my son awaits me.” 

When she said these words she rose to the horizon 
like a golden cloud, for which the sun was waiting, and 
disappeared with him. Arevahate, dumbfounded by 
this apparition, at first thought it all a dream; yet 
against her breast she felt the marvelous robe which 
the aged woman had given her. 

“No,” said she, “it was not a dream.” And her sad¬ 
ness turned to joy, her heart beat with happiness and 
her face was wreathed in smiles. She spoke gaily to 
the dog, petted the cow and sheep and, thus having 
shared her joy with them, continued on her homeward 
way. 


216 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

On she went, on and on, until, suddenly, she saw a 
party of armed horsemen, whose breastplates gleamed 
in the last rays of the setting sun, advancing toward her. 
The dog, disquieted, circled his mistress and looked at 
her; and she herself realized that these soldiers could 
have no good object in view. Yet how was she to 
escape from them if they decided to seize her? She 
had heard say, at times, that bandits seized children 
and young girls in order to sell them into slavery in 
distant countries. They received a good price for their 
human merchandise if it were handsome and vigorous. 
Lest the bandits might thigk her a valuable prize, 
Arevahate covered her face with earth muddied by a 
recent rainfall. Then she continued on her way, bent 
over, following her cow. Alas, her precaution was in 
vain! As they drew near the horsemen saw a young 
girl who struck them as being very ugly, but they said 
to each other, “Handsome or ugly, what is the differ¬ 
ence? She will go down the dragon’s throat in either 
case!” And one of them, cried out in a loud voice, 
“Ho, there, girl! Do not try to escape! You will 
have to ride behind one of us, for we will have to take 
you along!” 

Arevahate stood still. What was she to do? Re¬ 
sistance was out of the question, and besides, even 
though they took her far, far away, could she be more 
unhappy than she already was in her stepmother’s 
home? She said farewell to her dog, and kissed her 


THE LOVELY AREVAHATE 


217 


cow and her sheep good-by between the eyes. Then 
she was swung up on one of the horses. The cow be¬ 
gan to low and the sheep to blat when they saw their 
dear mistress carried off; while the dog, whining, fol¬ 
lowed her for a long time, but had to stop when the 
horses darted off at a gallop, and the young girl waved 

her hand to him in farewell. 

-» * * * * 

The raiders finally came to a great rock where they 
dismounted and, leading her through a narrow passage, 
brought Arevahate into a spacious cavern, where were 
assembled more than eighty young girls who had been 
carried off from the surrounding villages. These were 
guarded by other horsemen, and the unfortunate crea¬ 
tures wept in a manner which would have moved a 
heart of stone. Yet they did not dare raise their voices. 
They stifled their sobs and only murmured their ex¬ 
clamations of despair. Arevahate tried to comfort 
them. If they were sold into a neighboring kingdom 
could they not make their escape and win back to their 
own country? Yet among them many already knew 
that they were being carried off to be fed to a dragon, 
for the news had spread throughout the entire country. 
Arevahate, who had not known of it was, nevertheless, 
prepared for all. If she had to die, she wished to die 
bravely. Yet she could not forget the old woman’s 
promises and blessing and felt sure that she would 
escape death. 


218 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

A few more young girls having been brought to the 
cavern, they were now all led forth. Night had fallen, 
but the full moon lit every path. Across valley and 
mountain the captives were taken to the neighboring 
kingdom, each being fastened behind one of the horse¬ 
men. They rode all night long, and then part of the 
following day, until finally they reached the capital 
of the king who was the father of a serpent. 

All the inhabitants of the city poured out to see them. 
What a surprise they were and what a marvelous sight! 
For all these Armenian girls were beautiful, one more 
beautiful than the other. It was a great pity, so all 
agreed, to think that they were doomed to become a 
dragon’s prey. Among them all Arevahate alone ap¬ 
peared ugly, with her face covered with mud. 

* * * * 

The moment had come for the king to give his or¬ 
ders. He could not help shuddering when he thought 
of the first among these young girls to be left alone 
with the huge reptile, which had grown to enormous 
size, and become more and more famished. Yet he, 
too, had faith in the words of the Mother of the Sun. 
He gave orders that the young girls were to be guarded 
in an attractive mansion near the palace, that they were 
to be well fed and cared for, and that one among them 
be taken to the dragon. 

The guards who had been entrusted with carrying 
out the king’s orders might have drawn lots to see who 


THE LOVELY AREVAHATE 


219 


would be the first victim. Yet, without much regard 
for justice, they singled out Arevahate because she 
looked so homely to them, and because she was the only 
one who betrayed no fear. “Let us take this one first,” 
they said; “she will go without struggling and that 
will encourage the rest!” So they took Arevahate by 
the arms and led her to the wing of the palace where 
the dragon dwelt. On the way they said to her: “You 
are going to your wedding. Your betrothed is the 
king’s son and you shall be his princess.” 

* * * * * 

While they were speaking they came to a beautiful 
garden, attached to the dragon’s apartments. In the 
midst of this garden was a marble pool of limpid water. 
The guards wished to open the door of the apartment 
and cast in the young girl, but she said to them, “Since 
you are leading me to the king’s son, leave me alone for 
an instant, so that I may wash my face and arrange my 
garments. I would be ashamed to have him see me as 
I now am.” 

To this they agreed and withdrew outside the gar¬ 
den, whose gate they guarded so that she could not 
make her escape. When she was alone Arevahate 
washed her face and hands, tastefully arranged her 
hair, and put on the robe given her by the Mother of 
the Sun. After a moment the guards returned. Yet 
what was their surprise when they saw her thus 
adorned. It seemed to them that the dawn had risen 


220 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

in the middle of the day. Not one of them could be¬ 
lieve that this radiant child was the same girl they had 
brought there, or even that she was a creature of the 
earth. They thought that she had descended from the 
skies in the shape of a poor girl, homely and wretched, 
and that now she had appeared to them in her true 
form. 

Arevahate said to them, “Why do you stand tnere 
staring at me, with your mouths open and your faces 
full of wonder? Lead me where I am to go!” Shud¬ 
dering with horror at the thought of what they were 
about to do, the guards fell on their knees before her. 

“Forgive us, forgive us!” they cried. “We did not 
bring you hither for your wedding, but to deliver you 
over to the dragon which inhabits yonder chamber. 
The dragon is the king’s son. Pardon our crime, and, 
if you desire, we will save you, even though we hang 
for it!” 

Arevahate was quite without fear. She felt that 
Arevamair, her protectress, had some hidden design 
with regard to' her which she ought not to attempt to 
evade. So she replied in a firm tone of voice, “I do not 
wish to expose you to death. Give me the keys of the 
door and go your way, for I do not fear the dragon. 

She took the keys, opened the door, traversed an 
empty vestibule and entered a great hall. There, 
stretched out on a divan, she saw a colossal dragon. 
At first shocked and unable to speak, she soon regained 


THE LOVELY AREVAHATE 


221 


her courage and, keeping at some little distance from 
the reptile, she said to it: 

“I salute you, O son of the king! I come to you from 
Arevamair, the Mother of the Sun. She wishes you 
happiness and a long life.” The dragon raised its 
head and looked at the young girl with its flaming eyes. 
She shuddered and her whole body trembled, while 
her hair rose on her head. Yet she did not give way 
a single step, but remained where she stood and re¬ 
turned the dragon’s look. Seeing that its glance ter¬ 
rified her the reptile turned away its head, and drew 
together the monstrous rings of its body. Several 
times, however, it turned to look at her, and each time 
that it did so she trembled. Nevertheless, she remem¬ 
bered that Arevamair had blessed her, and promised 
to shield her from all harm, so that her wishes might 
be gratified. 

“O son of the king,” she said at last, “why thus tor¬ 
ment me? Devour me without delay, if you wish to 
make a meal of me. But, if a human soul is hidden 
beneath your dragon scales, I bid you, in the name of 
Arevamair, to cast off your disguise!” 

No sooner had she spoken these words than the 
dragon recoiled upon itself, swelled to enormous di¬ 
mensions, began to twist and turn and, suddenly, burst 
with such a roar of sound that the palace shook to its 
foundations, and the king was so shaken that he leaped 
from his throne. 


222 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

The courtiers and servants came rushing up from all 
sides to see what had happened and what did they be¬ 
hold? The dragon’s scaly hide had been flung to the 
ground, like the formless cocoon from which the but¬ 
terfly emerges. And before their astonished eyes stood 
a young man with a noble and handsome countenance, 
dressed in the whitest and finest of linen; while beside 
him was a young girl shining like the sun and clad in 
silks, gold and light. Each was smiling into the other’s 
face. 

No sooner had they been informed of this marvelous 
happening than the king and queen, frantic with joy, 
hurried up to embrace their son and Arevahate. Then 
they were married to each other in the midst of all 
sorts of rejoicing. The wedding festivities continued 
for seven days and seven nights. All the young Ar¬ 
menian maidens who had been carried away were 
among the guests, after which, laden with presents, they 
were dismissed to their own land. Nor did Arevahate, 
now that she had become a princess, forget her old 
friends. For a few gold pieces her stepmother, above 
whose envy and dislike she was now raised as high as 
the stars of heaven, was glad to let her have her dog, 
her cow, her sheep, and the rest of her village com¬ 
panions, who thenceforward, like their mistress, led a 
happy and carefree existence in the midst of joy and 
plenty. 


THE MULLAH IDRIS 


(A Syrian Tale) 


NCE upon a time there lived in the city of Damas- 



cus a woman who was always poor and needy 
because her husband was lazy and would not work. 
So one day his wife said to him, “Idris,” for that was 
his name, “you have idled long enough. There is 
nothing to eat in the house, and there will be nothing 
to eat in the house unless you go to work and earn the 
money to buy it.” 

“But what am I to do?” asked Idris. “I have never 
learned a trade.” 

“Get a book of some kind, and read in it, as though 
you were a learned man, a mullah . Then go and la¬ 
ment over the graves, and the women will give you 
money.” So Idris did as his wife told him and, sure 
enough, the women gave him a little money, day by 
day, for reading prayers and lamenting over the graves, 
and besides the money he acquired a reputation for 
great piety and learning. 

Now it happened one day while the Mullah Idris 
was standing in the market-place, that the Sultan of 
Damascus rode through the streets, and stopped at a 


223 


224 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

goldsmith’s shop to have a golden ring repaired. And 
while the goldsmith was repairing the sultan’s ring 
he put it on his fingernail and raised his finger in the 
air and—snap! off flew the ring and was gone. It 
chanced to fall in the slipper of lazy Idris, though 
neither the sultan, the goldsmith nor any of the by¬ 
standers saw it, and Idris hurried off home as fast as 
he could, with the ring in his slipper. 

The sultan was very fond of his golden ring, so a 
great hue and cry was raised, and the whole market¬ 
place was thoroughly searched for it, but all in vain. 
And when the sultan saw that the ring was not to be 
found, he called together all the magicians in Damas¬ 
cus to tell him what had become of it. And they drew 
their magic circles and murmured strange incantations 
and made all manner of magic, but none of them could 
give the sultan any news of the ring. At last one of 
the court officials said to the sultan, “O Light of the 
World, there dwells in Damascus a man of great piety 
and learning, the Mullah Idris! Perhaps, if he were 
sent for, he could find the ring.” So Idris was brought 
before the sultan and the latter asked him his name. 
“I am called the Mullah Idris,” was the answer. “And 
can you find my golden ring for me?” asked the sultan. 
“Indeed I can,” replied Idris, “but you must give me 
until this evening to discover it.” This the sultan 
agreed to, and that very evening the Mullah Idris re¬ 
turned to the palace and brought the sultan his lost 


THE MULLAH IDRIS 


225 


ring. Not only was the sultan so pleased that he gave 
Mullah Idris a handsome reward, but he also formed 
a high opinion of his miraculous powers, and deter¬ 
mined to call on him again when he was in a difficulty. 

Idris’ wife was happy when he showed her the sul¬ 
tan’s handsome gift. But Idris himself was far from 
happy, for he feared—and with reason—that the sul¬ 
tan would again think of him the next time he was in 
a pinch. And, sure enough, so he did. 

One day forty robbers broke into the sultan’s palace 
and robbed him of his entire treasure in a single night. 
Again the sultan called together all the magicians, and 
again they drew their magic circles and murmured in¬ 
cantations with no result. Again the sultan sent for 
the wise Mullah Idris. To Idris he said, “I shall give 
you forty days in which to restore to me the treasure 
of which I have been robbed. This will be easy for 
you to do, for you are the possessor of hidden powers. 
If you do not produce the treasure in forty days, how¬ 
ever, I shall know that it is because of ill will on your 
part, and will send for the headsman.” 

Idris went home, sad and downcast in the highest 
degree. When his wife spoke to him he did not answer 
her, but when she continued to question him he said 
at length, “What use is there in telling you? The sul¬ 
tan’s treasure has been stolen, and he insists that I re¬ 
turn it to him in forty days. If I do not I lose my 
head.” 


226 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

And then he went out to the marketplace and bought 
forty nuts. To himself he said, “Each day I will crack 
a nut and eat it, and when the forty days are done the 
nuts will all be gone, and I shall be gone as well.” 

Now the first day, while the Mullah Idris sat within 
his home, thinking sadly of his fate, the chief of the rob¬ 
ber band which had stolen the sultan’s treasure sent 
out one of his men, saying to him, “Go, listen at the 
Mullah Idris’ door and see what he says! Then come 
back and repeat his exact words to me.” The robber 
at once went off and listened at Idris’ door. And no 
sooner had he settled down to listen than he heard 
Idris say to his wife, “Give me a nut.” But when Idris 
took the nut and cracked it the robber went pale, for 
Idris looked at the keyhole through which he was peep¬ 
ing and added: “There is one of the forty!” Said the 
robber to himself, “By Allah, he knows that we are 
the thieves!” So he hurried back to his captain and 
told him what he had heard. 

Then the robber captain sent out two more of his 
men and told them, “Be sure and listen to all that Mul¬ 
lah Idris says and come back and tell me.” Off they 
went, and listening at Idris’ door the two thieves heard 
him say to his wife, “Give me a nut,” and then, “There 
are two of the forty!” The robbers at once ran off in a 
great fright and reported to their captain. Then the 
captain thought, “He knows we are guilty.” Yet he 


THE MULLAH IDRIS 


22 7 


wanted to be quite sure, so he sent out three men the 
following night. But the only difference was that the 
Mullah Idris said, “There are three of the forty!” in¬ 
stead of “two.” 

So the captain made up his mind that his guilt was 
known to Idris, and on the fourth night he went to the 
Mullah’s house together with his entire band. They 
flung themselves at Idris’ feet and cried, “Our hope is 
in Allah and in you! If you will promise not to re¬ 
veal our names to the sultan we will restore to you 
the whole treasure, down to the last gold piece. It is 
hidden in a certain garden, not far away, beneath a 
white stone.” 

At first Idris was unable to believe his ears, yet he 
acted as though he had known them to be the robbers 
of the sultan’s treasure from the very start and said to 
them, “I knew from the first day that you had robbed 
our lord, the sultan, of his treasure, for I know all hid¬ 
den things. Yet I will be merciful and keep your 
names a secret if you return the treasure at once.” And 
this the robbers did, down to the very last gold piece. 

The next day the Mullah Idris went to the sultan 
and said, “O shadow of Allah, I have read in my magic 
book and the hiding-place of your treasure was re¬ 
vealed to me! It now lies in my home. Send pack- 
horses and slaves to carry it away!” Then the sultan 
was filled with joy. Slaves and pack-horses were sent 


228 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

to bring back the treasure to his treasury, and to Idris 
the sultan gave a mule laden with a bag of coined silver 
as a reward. 

When Idris came home his wife danced about with 
glee, crying, “Did I not always tell you not to be shift¬ 
less and idle! Behold how Allah helps those who help 
themselves!” But the Mullah Idris shook his head 
gloomily and only answered, “Wife, wife, some day 
this reputation of mine will cost me my head!” 

Now after the recovery of the treasure the Mullah 
Idris stood higher than ever in the favor of the Sultan 
of Damascus. Many envied him, but Idris did not 
envy himself. He lived in continual dread of the next 
test to which his knowledge of hidden things might be 
put. Yes, the Mullah Idris was an unhappy man, and 
the greater favor the sultan showed him the more un¬ 
happy he grew. 

One day the sultan was walking with Idris on the 
outskirts of Damascus and they came to the great bath. 
“Let us go in and bathe,” said the sultan to his com¬ 
panion. “Do you bathe here, O shadow of Allah,” re¬ 
plied Idris, “but I cannot! It is against the rules of 
the order of mullahs to perform their ablutions in the 
public bath. I will go home and wash there.” And 
the sultan went into the great bath while the Mullah 
Idris returned to his home. There he had his wife 
prepare a bath for him. Yet even in the bath the 
thought of his dangerous reputation as a worker of 


THE MULLAH IDRIS 


229 


miracles was never absent from his mind. Sitting 
there he happened to see himself, with his head and 
beard all soap, in the mirror which hung against the 
wall. An idea suddenly came to him. “It will be 
well if I pretend to be insane—as I look—hurry at once 
to the public bath, drag out the sultan by the beard and 
pull him around until he promises to leave me in peace. 
Then all my troubles will be at an end,” thought Idris. 

So leaping from his tub and clad only in his soap¬ 
suds, he ran through the streets of Damascus to the 
public bath. There he thrust aside the attendants, 
rushed in, and seizing the sultan by the beard dragged 
him out of the water and out of the bath itself. And 
the very moment the Mullah Idris and the sultan were 
out of the building, the latter—which was old and 
ruinous—collapsed with a tremendous crash in a 
shower of bricks and dust. 

Now the Mullah Idris’ first plan had been to pre¬ 
tend that he was insane. But when he saw the bath 
collapse, a better thought struck him, and he said to 
the sultan. “When you had entered the bath, O Light 
of the World, I went home and told my wife to fill a 
tub with water for me! And to kill time until my 
bath was ready I read in my magic book, without 
which I can work no wonders. As I did so the book 
spoke and said to me, 'Haste, haste, to the public bath! 
In a few moments the roof will collapse on the head of 
your lord the sultan!’ So without losing time to dry 


2 3 o FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

or dress, I leaped out of my tub and hurried to save 
you. And when I reached you there was no way of 
catching hold of you to drag you out of danger, except 
by seizing your beard and pulling you out by that 
means. And now—Blessed be Allah and his Prophet! 
—your life has been saved and my heart is filled with 

j°y” , 

Then the Mullah Idris paused for a moment and 
added in a sorrowful tone of voice, “Yet, alas, I have 
suffered a great grief as well! For when I leaped from 
my tub to hurry to your aid, my foot struck the magic 
book; it fell and rolled into the fire of the hearth and 
was utterly consumed. And now I can no longer per¬ 
form the least little miracle.” 

When the Sultan of Damascus heard this, he too was 
grieved, but the Mullah Idris, as a result of his happy 
thought, was freed from all further fear and appre¬ 
hension. He returned to his home, and there he and 
his wife lived long and happily on the mule-load of 
coined silver which the sultan had given him when he 
was a famous worker of miracles. 


/ 


THE PIT THE CADI DUG 


{A Mosuli Tale) 

O NCE upon a time Prince Fadlallah, son of the 
great Bin-Ortok, Sultan of Mosul, went to his 
father and told him he would like to go to Bagdad 
and see the city of the Caliph. So the Sultan Bin- 
Ortok opened his treasury, took out forty camel-loads 
of gold, gave him a host of servants and a hundred men 
of his bodyguard, and Prince Fadlallah set out across 
the desert. When the caravan was but a few days’ dis¬ 
tant from Bagdad, however, it was attacked at night 
by a great host of Bedouins. Fadlallah’s companions 
were slain while they offered resistance, and when the 
Prince told him his name, the robber captain, who was 
his father’s bitterest enemy, spared him for the moment 
only to promise him a death by torture in the near 
future. 

Dragged to the robbers’ camp and tied to a tree, 
Fadlallah had given up hope, when the entire band 
unexpectedly was called away by the report of a rich 
caravan which might be surprised a day’s march further 
on. All the Bedouins left save the captain’s wife and 
she, taking pity on the youth, untied his bonds and 
231 


232 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

directed him how to make his way to Bagdad. Two 
days later, footsore and weary, Fadlallah crept into 
the city which he had expected to enter with pomp and 
splendor, and took refuge in a mosque where he spent 
two days and two nights. Ragged, unshaven and dirty, 
Fadlallah was ashamed to disclose his princely rank. 
Driven by hunger, however, he decided to become a 
beggar until he could find a way of regaining Mosul. 
So he took his stand beneath the low window of a great 
mansion and begged for alms in a loud tone of voice. 
Soon an old slave woman came and offered him a piece 
of bread. As he was about to take it from her, the 
breeze happened to lift the curtain before the window, 
and looking into the room, Fadlallah saw a maiden of 
surprising beauty, whose radiant loveliness almost 
robbed him of his senses. He took the bread without 
knowing that he did so and stood motionless before the 
slave instead of thanking her. He spent the rest of 
the day before the window, hoping the breeze would 
once more lift the curtain, but in vain. When night 
fell he asked an old man who was passing to whom the 
house belonged. 

“It is the dwelling of Muaffak, the son of Adban,” 
said the ancient, “a man of wealth and standing. Not 
long ago he was governor of this city, but the Cadi of 
Bagdad, his enemy, found means to prejudice the 
Caliph against him and he lost his position.” 

That night Fadlallah took refuge in a cemetery and 


THE PIT THE CADI DUG 


233 


slept with his head resting on a gravestone. Suddenly 
he was awakened by two men who asked what he was 
doing there. When he said he was an unfortunate beg¬ 
gar, they told him to follow them, led him to a tomb 
where their companions were eating and drinking, and 
invited him to share their meal. From their talk 
Fadlallah soon discovered that they were thieves, and 
while he was wondering how he might leave their 
society without giving offence, the lieutenant of the 
Cadi suddenly entered with twenty or thirty police, and 
all, including Fadlallah, were seized and led to prison. 

The next morning the Cadi entered the jail to exam¬ 
ine the prisoners. WE en he came to Fadlallah the 
latter answered all his questions openly without, how¬ 
ever, betraying his rank. And he told the Cadi of the 
beautiful maiden he had seen as the wind raised the 
curtain of Muaffak’s house. When he heard the name 
of Muaffak the Cadi’s eyes gleamed, and after thinking 
a moment, he said, “Young man, you may become the 
husband of that beautiful girl, Muaffak’s daughter, if 
you follow my instructions. Do you wish to do so?” 

Fadlallah thanked him and agreed, though he did 
not understand why he made the offer. The Cadi or¬ 
dered the aga who led the police to take Fadlallah to 
the public bath. Meanwhile he sent two officials to 
Muaffak to say that he wished to consult him with 
regard to a matter of the highest importance. When 
Muaffak came, the Cadi embraced him with great cour- 


234 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT, 

tesy, much to the latter’s surprise. “I wonder why 
my enemy the Cadi is so polite to me to-day?” thought 
Muaffak. “He must have something up his sleeve.” 

“Muaffak,” then said the Cadi, “Allah does not wish 
us to remain enemies. An opportunity offers for us to 
forget the hatred which has divided our families for 
the last few years. The Prince of Basra arrived in 
Bagdad last night, and is living in my house. He has 
heard such glowing accounts of your daughter’s beauty 
that he has fallen in love with her, and wishes to sue 
for her hand. He has asked me to act for him in the 
matter, and this I do all the more gladly since it offers 
a chance for us to become reconciled.” 

“I am surprised,” answered Muaffak, “that the 
Prince of Basra wished to marry my daughter Zemrude 
and that you, who have always done all you could to 
injure me, should inform me of his wish.” 

“Let us forget the past,” said the Cadi. “Let us 
bury the memory of all that we have done to each other, 
and in view of the happy union between your daughter 
and the Prince of Basra, let us live in good friendship 
for the remainder of our days!” 

Now Muaffak was as good-natured as the Cadi was 
malicious. He dismissed all unkind thoughts, allowed 
himself to be deceived, embraced the Cadi and was 
swearing undying friendship at the moment when Fad- 
lallah, who had been provided with a handsome 
robe and a turban of Indian muslin whose gold-em- 


235 


THE PIT THE CADI DUG 

broidered tip hung down over his ear, entered the room. 

“Illustrious prince,” said the Cadi to him, “blessed 
be your footsteps! Here is my friend Muaflfak, to 
whom I have spoken of your reason for coming to Bag¬ 
dad. He is willing to give you the hand of his 
daughter Zemrude, who is as beautiful as a star, in 
marriage.” Muaffak bowed low and said, “O son of 
a sultan, I am deeply honored to think that my daughter 
is the object of your choice, and that she may look for¬ 
ward to such great happiness!” 

Prince Fadlallah, naturally, was very much sur¬ 
prised at these speeches, to which he did not know how 
to reply. He greeted Muaffak without saying a word, 
and the Cadi, who noticed his embarrassment, feared 
he might make some remark which would betray his 
evil scheme, said, “The marriage contract might as well 
be drawn up now in the presence of witnesses.” When 
the witnesses had duly appeared and the contract had 
been signed, the Cadi said to Muaffak, “The affairs of 
the great, as you know, are not disposed of like those of 
other mortals. They call for haste and secrecy. The 
Prince is now your son-in-law. Take him to your 
home and introduce him to your daughter.” At the 
Cadi’s door two richly caparisoned mules were wait¬ 
ing; and Muaffak and Fadlallah mounted them and 
rode to Muaffak’s house. There Muaffak held Fad- 
lallah’s stirrup with great respect while he dismounted, 
took him by the hand and led him to Zemrude, who 


236 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

received him with every mark of favor and affection, 
in the belief that he was the Prince of Basra to whom 
her father had betrothed her. The following day the 
wedding feast was to be held. In the morning Fad- 
lallah heard some one knocking at the door of his room 
and when he opened it, there stood the Cadi’s black 
aga, and in his hand was a big package of rags. “Well, 
my fine adventurer,” said the aga and grinned, the 
Cadi sends you his greetings and begs that you will re¬ 
turn the robe he lent you yesterday to play the part of 
the Prince of Basra. Here is your old coat, and here 
are the rest of your rags, so that you can put on your 
own clothes once more.” 

Fadlallah was much surprised at this speech, which 
for the first time revealed to him all the Cadi’s malice. 
But he gave the aga the Cadi’s robe and turban and put 
on his ragged gown. In the meantime the beautiful 
Zemrude, who had heard part of the conversation, 
hurried up and when she saw Fadlallah covered with 
rags, cried, “What is the meaning of this transforma¬ 
tion, and what did this fellow say to you?’ 

“My princess,” answered Fadlallah, “the Cadi is a 
great scoundrel. But he has himself fallen into the 
pit he dug in his malice. He thinks that he has given 
you a wretched beggar for a husband—in reality he 
has wedded you to a prince. I am no lower in rank 
than the husband you supposed you were marrying. 
The Prince of Basra’s position is in no way superior to 


THE PIT THE CADI DUG 


237 


mine. I am the only son of the great Bin-Ortok, Sul¬ 
tan of Mosul, and my name is Fadlallah.” Then he 
told her his story without concealing anything. When 
he had concluded, the beautiful Zemrude flung her 
arms about him and assured him that even though he 
had not been a great king’s son, she would have loved 
him. She then at once sent out slaves to purchase rich 
clothing, and they soon returned with finer robes and 
a more valuable turban of Indian muslin than the one 
Fadlallah already had worn. Thereupon Fadlallah, 
following Muaffak’s advice, went to the Commander 
of the Faithful, the Caliph, disclosed his name and rank 
and told his story, without concealing any of the de¬ 
tails of the Cadi’s hatefulness and malice. The Caliph 
listened to him with great kindness, reproached him 
with not having come to him sooner, and presented him 
with a robe of honor and a handsome diamond ring 
which he wore on his hand. After he had been enter¬ 
tained in the palace with delicious sorbet, Fadlallah, 
when he returned to Muaffak’s house, found that the 
Caliph had sent him as a wedding gift six heavy bales 
of Persian gold and silver brocades, two pieces of 
damask, and a handsome Persian horse, magnificently 
caparisoned. In addition the Caliph restored to Muaf- 
fak the governorship of Bagdad. And, when Prince 
Fadlallah set out to return to Mosul with his beautiful 
young wife, the Commander of the Faithful gave him 
an escort of three thousand of his bodyguard to pro- 


238 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

tect him on the way. In Mosul, the son of the great 
Bin-Ortuk lived long and happily with the beautiful 
Zemrude. 

As to the hateful Cadi, who had tried to play so low 
and unworthy a trick on Zemrude and her father— 
Blessed be Allah the beneficent, who does not permit 
the evil sown by the iniquitous to bear fruit!—he was 
deprived of his office and sent to prison. There he had 
time to reflect how easy it is while digging a pit for 
others, to fall into it one’s self. 













THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 


(An Arabian Nights’ Tale as Told in Seventeenth 
Century Europe) 

NCE upon a time there lived in Europe a magi- 



cian by the name of Mattetai, who was so skilled 
in the art of magic that he could discover all buried 
treasures and use them as he chose. Yet he was not 
satisfied with this knowledge. He had read in an 
ancient book that in the African cavern of Xa Xa 
there was hidden a key-lock which would make its 
possessor the happiest man on earth, and allow him to 
gratify his every wish, for the earth spirits were bound 
to this talisman and had to do whatever the owner of 
the lock desired. So Mattetai’s mouth began to water 
after this most desirable treasure. Yet, in order to ob¬ 
tain the lock, all sorts of formalities were first neces¬ 
sary. These Mattetai did not know. He had a ring, 
however, to which the air spirits were bound; so rub¬ 
bing it on his finger he summoned them. At once three 
of them appeared and asked the magician what he 
wished. Said Mattetai, “I would like to obtain the 
priceless lock in the Xa Xa Cavern, and I wish your 
help in obtaining it.” The air spirits answered, 


239 


240 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

“Force will not aid you there, for the lock is guarded 
by the earth spirits, who are more powerful than we 
are. But if you use cunning, you may get the better 
of them and secure the lock.” “Very well,” said 
Mattetai, “and how do I go about it?” Said the air 
spirits, “You must do exactly as your ancient book tells 
you. First of all, you need a Turkish boy. He must 
be an innocent youth and must carry out all the orders 
you give him, according to the book’s directions. 
Mattetai picked up the book, read what he needed 
to know, and finally jumped up and said to the air 
spirits, “That’s thatl And now take me to Constan¬ 
tinople, where I hope to find that for which I am 
looking.” 

At once the willing spirits seized him, and carrying 
him through the air he found himself, after a few 
moments had passed, in Asia, where they set him down 
on the ground a short distance from the city of Con¬ 
stantinople. Here Mattetai dismissed the spirits, en¬ 
tered the city and wandered through a number of 
streets until he came across a boy who seemed to have 
all the qualities needed for carrying out his plan. He 
was the poor, motherless son of a day laborer, named 
Lameth. Mattetai went up to him as he was playing 
with some boys of his own age in the gutter, gave him 
a kindly greeting and said, “Where does your father 
live?” “Not far from here,” said Lameth, and when 
Mattetai begged him to take him to his father, whose 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 241 


name was Achim, he did so at once. Mattetai was 
very polite to Achim, and asked him whether he could 
engage Lameth as a guide and servant for the time of 
his stay in Constantinople. He would be glad to pay 
a fixed sum for his services every day, he said, in order 
that he might show him the streets to which business 
called him. A stranger like himself felt lost in such 
an immense city. When Achim asked him where he 
was staying Mattetai said, “I have just entered the 
town, and would be glad to have you tell me where I 
might find a lodging.” So Achim showed him a 
neighboring house and said, “There they will serve 
you well and since it is nearby, my son will be close at 
hand when you want him.” 

Mattetai thanked Achim for his advice and pre¬ 
sented him with a gold ducat. Then he fixed Lameth’s 
wages, and even said that he would maintain him alto¬ 
gether at his own expense if he served him faithfully. 
When Achim heard him mention sums of money which 
he himself could not earn in a month’s hard labor, and 
which the boy was to receive every day at the cost of 
little exertion, he thanked the god of Mohammed in 
his heart. His greatest wish was that Mattetai might 
stay in Constantinople a long, long time. The very 
first day of his services Mattetai gave Lameth a gold 
ducat, though he had done but little, and Lameth, full 
of joy, brought it at once to his father. The next day 
the magician sent for a tailor and bought a neat new 


242 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

robe for Lameth, at the same time hiring two good 
horses. Mounted on these they rode through Con¬ 
stantinople and saw everything worth seeing, return¬ 
ing in the evening. Then Lameth received his ducat 
and after supper was sent home to his father, laden 
with food. In this way Achim lived like a lord for 
fourteen days, without doing a stroke of work, and 
wished that Mattetai would stay in Constantinople for 
the rest of his days. 

But such was not Mattetai’s intention. On the fif¬ 
teenth day he ordered Lameth to hire two good horses, 
and then told him that having seen the whole city, he 
would now ride out into the country and see what it 
was like Early in the morning Mattetai and Lameth 
mounted and rode off, and when they were a few 
miles away from Constantinople the magician guided 
his horse into the woods. “Master,” said Lameth, “let 
us follow the highway, or we will be lost!” But Mat¬ 
tetai answered, “Follow me! The sun is so hot that 
I would rather ride in the shade of the trees. It will 
be easy enough to find the highway later.” With these 
words he spurred on his horse and darted off so swiftly 
that Lameth could hardly follow him as he galloped 
over bush and hedge, and thick and thin. At last the 
boy was at the end of his strength. He called on the 
magician to stop, which Mattetai finally did, in a bar¬ 
ren place. Here he dismounted, tied his horse to a 
tree, and ordered Lameth to do the same. 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 243 

While Lameth, glad of the rest, lay down and tried 
to catch his breath, Mattetai drew a great book from 
his knapsack, spread it open on the grass, and began to 
read. Then he turned the ring on his finger and mut¬ 
tered something in his beard. At once three air spirits 
stood before him and asked his commands. Lameth, 
who had never seen anything like this in all his days, 
nearly died of fright; but Mattetai raised him up and 
said, “Do not fear, my son, not a hair of your head 
shall be hurt! If you will only do as I say, you will 
never regret it, for I will make you so rich that you 
will thank me all your life long.” Thus he soothed 
the boy; then addressing one of the air spirits, “Take 
the two horses and return them to their owner. You, 
however,” and he turned to the two others, “shall take 
me and my trusty servant safely to Africa to the famous 
Xa Xa Cavern.” 

In a moment they were seized by the spirits, carried 
through the air and in the twinkling of an eye they 
were in Africa, where they were set down on a large 
hill. Here Mattetai dismissed his air spirits, and once 
more took forth his book and read in it. Next he pro¬ 
duced flint and steel, which he carried with him, lit a 
fire and drew a magic circle around it. Thereupon 
he strewed incense in the flames and murmured a few 
cabalistic words. When he had done this a great 
noise and tumult arose within the hill, as though it 
j were thundering; and then the whole hill burst open 


244 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

with a terrible crash and many fiery flames shot out 
from the cavern. When this had happened, Mattetai 
left the circle and went to Lameth, who was so over¬ 
come by terror that he no longer knew whether he 
were alive or dead. He took the boy, who had sunk 
to the ground, by the arm, lifted him up and said, 
“Dear Lameth, the time has come when you can make 
both of us happy for the rest of our lives. You must 
enter yonder opening in the hill, and if you follow my 
instructions no harm will come to you. First, take this 
ring— a nd he thrust a ring on his finger—and as you 
value your life, do not lose it nor let anyone take it, for 
so long as it is on your finger, nothing can harm you. 
Then go cheerfully into the cavern and walk straight 
ahead through the long, dark passage, turning neither 
to the right nor to the left. If anyone call you do not 
even look around. When you step from the dark pas¬ 
sage, you will come to three rooms, full of gold, silver, 
precious stones and other costly objects. Be careful 
not to touch any of them, but go straight ahead until 
you reach a fair garden, filled with sweet-fruited trees. 
Pick as many of the fruits as you wish, if it please you, 
but do not linger too long, or the time during which 
the cavern remains open will pass. Then hurry on 
until you find a great lock with a key hanging by a 
string of pearls from a marble column. Cut the pearl 
string in two, shove it quickly into your pocket, to¬ 
gether with the lock and key, and run right back the 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 245 

way you came. Let nothing whatever hinder you, but 
hurry back to me without saying a word!” 

Lameth was terrified by this strange speech, and 
could not make up his mind to undertake so dangerous 
a task. Yet Mattetai besought him with the greatest 
earnestness, and drew a picture of the glorious life he 
could lead if he obeyed. But when Lameth still re¬ 
fused, the magician feared the right hour would pass, 
and then nothing in the world would enable* him to 
obtain what he wished. So he grew angry, seized 
Lameth by the collar, cast him to the ground and said, 
“I will kill you if you do not do as I say!” Then 
Lameth begged for mercy and promised to do all that 
was demanded of him. The magician now once more 
became friendly, dusted him off, strengthened him with 
the powerful medicaments he carried, and accompanied 
him to the hill. There he bade the boy enter the cleft 
in the rock which led into the cavern, and once he had 
gone in, Mattetai sat down before it and awaited his 
return with anxiety. 

Lameth, his master’s warnings in mind, went straight 
on through the passage. Suddenly it grew light, and 
he found himself in a room full of all sorts of silver 
vessels, handsomely chiselled with flowers. Lameth 
did not realize their value. To him they looked no 
better than ordinary metal. He touched none of them, 
but pushed on. He now came to another room, where 
stood baskets and basins made of pure gold, and which 


246 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

contained precious stones, pearls and other jewels. 
Lameth knew still less about these things. Then he 
entered a third room, entirely filled with gold and 
silver coins, which were piled up in heaps like corn. 
Lameth knew very well what coins were. He was al¬ 
most overcome by the temptation to stuff his pockets 
with them, but remembered Mattetai’s warning just in 
time, and fearing death would reward his disobedience, 
he hurried forward. Now he found himself in the 
lovely, smiling garden of which he had been told. 
There stood many trees, all adorned with translucent, 
glimmering fruits, white, yellow, green and red in 
color. He looked at them with wonder and longing. 
He knew, too, that he could pluck as many of them as 
he wished. Yet he did not think they were real fruits, 
but only artfully cut and colored glass. He commenced 
filling his pockets with them and then suddenly re¬ 
called the magician’s warning not to lose much time 
lest the cavern close upon him. At once he hurried 
on and soon saw the marble column from which the 
magic lock hung from a string of pearls. As soon as 
he caught sight of it he ran up, cut the pearl string 
and tried to cram it into his pocket. But his pockets 
were already full of the wonderful fruits he had picked. 
So without further thought, he took off his turban, 
unrolled it and carefully hid the lock and the string of 
pearls in it. Then he once more wound it firmly 
around his head, and ran back along the path he had 



He now came to another room, where stood baskets and basins made of 
pure gold, and which contained precious stones, pearls, and other jewels. 








THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 247 


followed more quickly than he had come. But the 
rooms and gardens through which he ran reechoed 
with so terrible a howling, rumbling and crackling that 
every hair on his head stood on end, and he thought 
Gehenna had opened and pulled down the firmament 
with it. He was glad when he once more found him¬ 
self in the narrow passage; but this, which before had 
been pitch-dark, now glowed like fire, and for quite a 
time Lameth did not dare to venture near the flames. 
When he dared delay no longer, however, he ran 
straight through them and found that they cooled in¬ 
stead of burned him. He now was quite happy, for 
the light of day already showed through the opening 
of the cavern, and in a few minutes he hoped to be free 
of his troubles and once more his own master. And 
then, suddenly, there was a great crash, like a mighty 
thunderbolt, the cavern closed and it grew so dark 
that it was impossible to see. Lameth groped about 
to find the path, and finally reached the place where 
the opening had been. But now there was no trace 
of it, and Lameth was obliged to admit to himself that 
he was buried alive in the earth. 

* # * * * 

While Lameth was in the cavern, Mattetai waited 
outside for him to return and bring him the magic lock. 
The time during which the cavern would remain open 
had well nigh gone by, and when the magician did not 
see the boy reappear, he almost fell into despair, for 


248 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

well he knew that in a few moments his hopes would 
vanish forever. So he kept crying out in a pitiful 
manner, “Lameth, O Lameth, haste and delight the 
unhappy Mattetai with your presence!” Yet Lameth 
did not come, and now the magician abandoned him¬ 
self to hopelessness; not alone had he lost the lock of 
the Xa Xa Cavern, but his wonderful magic ring as 
well. He was still calling, “Lameth, Lameth!” when 
the terrible crash was heard and a fiery flame shot out 
of the cave, which at once closed. The flame seized 
the magician, dragged him a mile and flung him into 
a great marsh, where he lay unconscious, stretched out 
like a frog, until the sun went down and the coolness 
awakened him. At first he knew not where he was 
or how he had gotten there. Little by little he recalled 
his misfortune, and once more bewailed the loss of his 
ring. With the aid of the spirits of the air he could 
have had himself taken back to Europe in a moment. 
He had dragged himself out of the marsh, but lay in 
the deepest darkness, and around him the wild beasts 
roared so that he shivered. Yet he struck a light with 
his flint and since he still had his great book, which 
contained many magic secrets, he turned its pages. To 
his great joy he hit upon an incantation by means of 
which the spirits of the water could be invoked. He 
did not lose a moment in reciting it and, behold, two 
obedient spirits at once stood before him. They shook 
themselves heavily and asked his pleasure. “Tell me 


249 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 

in which part of the world I now am?” asked Mattetai. 
“In Africa,” they replied. “Then I command that you 
at once take me safely to Europe.” The spirits placed 
Mattetai on their ankles, shot through the seas with 
him like lightning, and put him ashore in Europe. 

Mattetai was glad to be back in that part of the world 
in which he had been born. With much difficulty and 
inconvenience, and mourning his misfortunes, he made 
his way to his native land. There he did all he could 
to forget the loss of his ring. And, after all, he could 
afford to do so, for his magic arts made him master 
of all earth’s treasures, and he could use and enjoy 
them as he chose. 

* * * * * 

In Constantinople, meanwhile, the honest day laborer 
Achim looked everywhere for his son Lameth and 
could not find him. He went to the man from whom 
Lameth had hired the horses: the horses had re¬ 
turned without any one riding them. He went to Mat- 
tetai’s lodgings, but found neither master nor servant. 
When the second and third day passed and Lameth 
did not return, Achim gave up hope, cursed Mattetai 
as a scoundrel and deceiver, and wished that the pox 
might take him. 

Lameth was still locked up in the Xa Xa Cavern, 
crying that he was a poor boy buried alive who did 
not know how to get out of his grave. At last he ran 
back into the cavern, hoping to reach the handsome 


250 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

rooms and the garden, thinking they might show him 
a way out. But he was disappointed; the doors were 
firmly bolted and he had to return. Running back 
and forth had tired him, he was hungry, thirsty and 
discouraged. Sitting down on a little rock he hap¬ 
pened to remember some food which Mattetai had en¬ 
trusted to his care. He ate, then stretched out on the 
ground and fell asleep. While he slept he dreamed a 
delightful dream. He had escaped from his living 
grave and was once more home with his father. When 
he awoke he had no idea that he had slept for seventy- 
two hours on a stretch. He now wept louder than 
before, called on his father, wrung his hands and as 
he did so and without knowing it, he turned the ring 
which Mattetai had put on his finger. In a moment 
the cavern was filled with light, and two air spirits 
who had formerly served the magician stood before 
him. Lameth first was somewhat frightened, but 
knowing from experience they would not harm him, 
he listened to what they said. “What do you wish of 
us? What can we do for you?” they asked. “Alas,” 
sighed Lameth, “I wish I were out of this prison and 
home with my father!” “Lameth, Lameth,” replied 
one of the spirits, “if you knew the good fortune you 
hold in your hands, you would think yourself better 
off than the Turkish emperor! Be content. Since the 
earth spirits are also your servants, we may serve you 
as well, and your wish shall be granted.” With that 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 251 

the Xa Xa Cavern suddenly opened with a great crash, 
and the air spirits seized the boy and flew like the wind 
with him to Constantinople, where they put him down 
before his father’s house. He thanked them and went 

in. 

Old Achim sat there sadly mourning his son’s loss, 
when suddenly Lameth stood before him. Achim fell 
on his neck with the greatest joy, crying “Lameth, 
Lameth, where have you been so long? And what 
has become of your kind master?” “Dear father,” 
answered Lameth, “say not another word about that 
scoundrel and magician Mattetai. Instead give me 
something to eat, for I am hungry. Since I left you 
only a few bits of sugar-cane have passed my lips!” 
Achim, who still had money remaining from the wages 
paid the boy by Mattetai, ran to the tavern and re¬ 
turned with plenty to eat and drink. At first Achim 
could not believe Lameth’s story, but when the latter 
unrolled his turban and brought out the lock together 
with the string of pearls, and then emptied his pockets, 
showing the beautiful, transparent fruits which he had 
plucked from the trees of the magic garden beneath 
the earth, Achim had to admit that his son had not 
been dreaming, but telling the truth. 

Yet the beautiful fruits seemed no more than colored 
glass to Achim and his son, nor did they think the 
lock different from any ordinary lock. But because 
father and son, ever since Mattetai had made his ap- 


2 C2 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

pearance, had been used to easy living and no toil, they 
had gotten out of the habit of working. When all their 
money had been spent, though, they had to do some¬ 
thing. One day Lameth brought out his lock and 
said, “Mattetai must have been a great simpleton to 
take so much trouble and dare so many dangers for the 
sake of this bit of rubbish.” His father laughed and 
answered, “You are right, it was hardly worth his 
while to make such a fuss about a rusty old lock.” 
Achim took the lock from his son’s hand, wiped the 
dust from it and turned the key. It was firmly locked, 
and he had to put forth all his strength to unlock it. 
When at last it turned with a loud snap, a giant spirit 
at once stood before him and asked, “What do you de¬ 
mand of me?” 

Achim was so frightened by this apparition that 
he tumbled down on the floor in a faint. Lameth, 
fortunately, had taken the priceless lock from his hand, 
and, being used to spirits, was quite calm. “I am 
hungry. Bring me something to eat,” he at once an¬ 
swered. The spirit disappeared for a moment, and 
then returned with two great silver bowls filled with 
fresh and candied fruits, which he placed before 
Lameth, adding, “Is there anything else you wish?” 
“Yes, indeed,” answered the boy, “I also wish some¬ 
thing to drink.” So the spirit at once brought a dozen 
bottles of the best sorbet in a great silver kettle and 
asked what further commands Lameth chose to give. 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 253 


“Nothing more for the present,” said Lameth, relocking 
his lock and putting it back in its place. Although he 
wondered more or less about this strange happening, 
his ignorance and simplicity prevented his hitting upon 
the reason for its occurrence. 

Seeing that Achim still lay unconscious on the floor, 
Lameth took one of the bottles of sorbet and sprinkled 
his face. Achim’s first glance, when he came to, fell 
on the silver bowls of fruit. He could not imagine 
how they came to be there until Lameth had explained. 
First Achim hesitated to eat and drink what the spirit 
had brought, but soon, seeing that Lameth was enjoy¬ 
ing everything with a good appetite, he joined him. 
Again father and son lived on what the spirit had 
supplied until it was gone. 

Then, one day, for Achim had by now quite for¬ 
gotten how to work, he said to Lameth, “Lameth, go 
and sell one of the silver bowls. We cannot eat it as 
it is.” Lameth was willing, put the bowl in his gown, 
and set out for the tinsmith, for he thought it was 
made of some base metal. On the way he met an 
Armenian who asked him where he was going with the 
bowl. “I want to sell it,” answered Lameth. His 
questioner led him into an empty alley, examined the 
bowl and asked Lameth his price. “You are the 
best judge of its value,” said the latter, “tell me what 
you will give for it.” The other looked over the bowl 
from bottom to rim and finally said, “I will give you 


254 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

twelve silver lion dollars for it. It is really worth 
less,” he added, “but I like the workmanship” 
Lameth, happy to get so much money, ran back to his 
father with it and Achim, who knew no more than his 
son about the true worth of the bowl, was also pleased 
with the profitable sale. Soon they disposed of the 
second bowl to the purchaser of the first, and then came 
the turn of the great silver kettle. But the kettle was 
so heavy that Lameth did not try to carry it beneath 
his robe; he took it up on his head and carried it openly 
through the streets. As he went his way he met a 
goldsmith, who asked him where he was going with 
the kettle. “I am going to an Armenian who will buy 
it from me,” answered Lameth. “Well,” replied the 
goldsmith, “I doubt if he will give you much for it.” 
And he asked him what he had received for the bowls, 
which he had seen him carry past. And when Lameth 
told him he cried, “Each one of those bowls was worth 
at least a hundred silver lion dollars!” Lameth 
thought the goldsmith was poking fun at him and said, 
“Well, then, what is this kettle worth?” The gold¬ 
smith weighed it in his hands, examined it carefully 
and finally answered, “I will give you five hundred sil¬ 
ver lion dollars for it.” Lameth could hardly believe he 
was still in his own skin, hearing this great sum of 
money mentioned. When the goldsmith told him to 
show the kettle to another goldsmith, and that if the 
latter offered him more he would be willing to meet 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 255 

his price, Lameth would not take another step. He 
handed the goldsmith the kettle, stuffed the five hun¬ 
dred silver lion dollars in a bag, and ran home with 
the money on his head like a greyhound. When he 
found his father he was quite out of breath. He flung 
the bag on the table so that it burst and the dollars 
rolled all around the room. “See, father, what a haul 
I have made!” he cried. “The first man cheated us, 
and if I had gone in the first place to the honest gold¬ 
smith who bought the kettle, I would have received 
much more for my two bowls.” But old Achim said, 
“Feel no regret, my son, but rejoice to think you sold 
the great kettle to such advantage! Now we will take 
better care of our money, for such a piece of luck will 
never again happen to us.” Lameth was quite content 
to have it so, only asking for a little of the money with 
which to buy better clothes, while four hundred silver 
lion dollars were laid away for future needs. 

* * # * * 

One day Lameth happened to feel like going out 
into the country a little ways. And while he was ad¬ 
miring the summer palaces of the Turkish emperor, 
which lay without the city limits, he heard the cannon 
thundei in the distance. This was the signal for all 
men to withdraw, because the Grand Seignior’s women 
were on the way to one of the summer palaces. Though 
he knew very well that to disobey this command meant 
death, he could not resist the temptation to watch the 


256 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


procession without himself being seen. Happening to 
notice a hollow tree by the roadside, in which he could 
hide, he got into it and found himself so well-concealed 
that no one suspected his hiding-place. Thus he was 
able to watch the whole cortege file past him. And 
then, contrary to all expectations, it happened that the 
litter of the sultan’s daughter, the Princess Bellastra, 
crashed into that very tree, so that she fell to earth and 
fainted. At once attendants and servants surrounded 
the litter and devoted themselves to the princess. Her 
veil was removed, costly essences were sprinkled on her 
brow, and finally she was recalled to consciousness. 

Lameth could see all this. With the loveliness of 
Princess Bellastra beneath his eyes he forgot every¬ 
thing. He kept poking his head out of the tree, and 
if those who hurried to the princess’ aid had not been 
so busy caring for her, he would surely have been dis¬ 
covered and lost. Yet by good fortune, as soon as'the 
Princess Bellastra recovered, the entire procession 
turned around to take her back to her father’s palace. 
Lameth sat in his hollow tree and looked after the 
princess as long as she was visible. And when she 
disappeared from sight, he wrung his hands and cried, 
“Bellastra, Bellastra, loadstar of my life! Whither are 
you vanishing? Without you I must die!” And thus 
wringing his hands, he turned the ring on his finger. 
At once an air spirit appeared and said, “Lameth, what 
is your desire?” Surprised as Lameth was by the spir- 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 257 


it’s appearance, he frankly replied, “Ah, I have fallen 
desperately in love with the Princess Bellastra! Can 
you aid me to gain her hand?” “No,” replied the air 
spirit. “It is not in the power of air spirits to aid 
you. Yet do not despair, Lameth. You are the ownen 
of the wonderful lock of the Xa Xa Cavern, which 
makes the earth spirits obey you. They will help you 
attain your wish if you handle the matter in the right 
way.” 

When the spirit said this Lameth woke as though 
from a dream. For the first time he realized what a 
wonderful treasure he possessed in the magic lock, 
which hitherto he had hardly noticed; and he now 
knew that his ring gave him command of, the spirits 
of the air. He dismissed the spirit cheerfully and went 
home, to spend most of his time thinking how best he 
might attempt to win the hand of the sultan’s daughter. 
One day, when his father, who noticed how quiet he 
had become, asked what was the matter, Lameth told 
him that he loved the Princess Bellastra, and begged 
his father to abtain an audience from the Grand Seig¬ 
nior and demand the princess’ hand for his son. “In¬ 
sensate one,” cried Achim in a rage, “how am I to 
appear before His Majesty with such a laughable de¬ 
mand! First of all, one cannot appear before the sul¬ 
tan without a gift, and even if we spent all our money 
we could buy nothing worth his notice.” But Lameth 
merely smiled. “Father,” he said, “do not worry about 


258 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

the matter. I have grown older and wiser and know 
what I am able to do. The stones which I possess, 
and which formerly I thought of no account, arc not 
glass. They are precious stones, such as great lords 
value highly; and all the jewels which the Princess 
Bellastra wore in her hair and on her breast, seemed 
only fit for children compared with mine. Therefore, 
dear father, unless you wish to see me die, do as I ask, 
present my plea, and let the rest be my affair.” 

Achim, who loved his son, finally yielded. On the 
following morning he set out to visit the sultan, and 
Lameth gave him for the purpose twelve various col¬ 
ored stones of medium size chosen from among his 
jewels. These he laid in neat order in a little basket, 
covered them with a clean cloth and handed it to his 
father. He also told him how to answer the questions 
the sultan would probably put to him. In addition he 
gave him a handsome red stone to press into the hand 
of the court official who introduced the people into the 
Grand Seignior’s audience chamber. The old father 
went off sad at heart, for he could see no good coming 
of all this foolishness. At last he came to the hall of 
audience, but found no more attention was paid him 
than if he had not been there. At last he caught one 
of the court officials who called the people in to see 
the sultan by the sleeve, quickly pressed the red stone 
into his palm and begged for an audience. The offi¬ 
cial secretly glanced at the stone in the hollow of his 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 259 


hand, and saw that it was a ruby of great value. He 
immediately looked at Achim with a friendlier face, 
let all the other more highly-placed audience-seekers 
wait, and brought the old day laborer into the sultan’s 
presence. 

Achim flung himself to the ground before the sultan 
and said, “All-powerful Sultan! I take the liberty of 
bringing Your Majesty a trifling gift from my son, 
who would like to commend himself to your favor.” 
The Grand Seignior had the little basket shown him 
and when the cloth was withdrawn, there lay twelve 
magnificent jewels sparkling beneath his eyes. In his 
astonishment he did not know what to say, for although 
he possessed the greatest treasure in the world, he had 
no jewels as magnificent as these; in fact he had never 
yet seen jewels so perfect in every way. He gave or¬ 
ders for every one to leave the room and then, showing 
his grand vizier the basket, asked, “What do you think 
of this gift?” The grand vizier fell silent when he saw 
how splendid the stones were. He kept looking at 
the man who had presented them and finally said, “Lord 
Sultan, I cannot get through my head how this man 
comes to be the owner of such treasures.” Then the 
sultan asked Achim who his son was. “My son,” re¬ 
plied the latter, “brought his treasures from Africa. 
He possesses such riches that Your Majesty need only 
command what you wish done and he will have it at¬ 
tended to.” “And you have nothing else to say?” 


260 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


asked the Grand Seignior. Achim shrugged his 
shoulders and stammered, “All-powerful monarch! 
If Your Majesty would promise to lend a gracious ear 
to what I say, I would venture to present my son’s 
plea.” “Speak,” said the sultan, “and tell me what 
he desires. No harm shall come to you, so speak 
freely and openly.” 

Then Achim began, “All-powerful lord and Sultan! 
I must admit to Your Majesty that my son Lameth 
loves your daughter the Princess Bellastra, and wishes 
me to humbly present his suit, with the assurance that 
he will offer whatever dower Your Majesty may choose 
to name.” The courtiers present could not help but 
laugh at Achim’s words and the grand vizier, whose 
son had for some time past cherished hopes of obtain¬ 
ing the princess’ hand, whispered in the sultan’s ear, 
“All-powerful monarch! How can Your Majesty 
marry your daughter to the first vagabond who comes 
along!” But the sultan glanced in the little basket and 
answered, “Achim, tell your son to present himself be¬ 
fore me six months from this day.” Achim was well 
satisfied with this favorable answer, as was Lameth, and 
the latter decided to wait quietly until the six months 
had passed. 

But, as may be imagined, the grand vizier lost no 
time, and the sultan, who soon forgot queer old Achim 
and the promise he had made him, consented to have 
the grand vizier’s son marry his daughter. Great 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 261 


preparations were made for the nuptials, and though 
the news saddened Achim, Lameth was undisturbed 
and encouraged his father. In the meantime the day 
drew near when, according to the Turkish custom, Bel- 
lastra was to be betrothed to the grand vizier’s son. 
But Lameth seemed so unconcerned that Achim thought 
he had given up his fantastic hope of marrying the 
sultan’s daughter. 

That same evening, however, Lameth locked himself 
in his room, and turning his ring summoned an air 
spirit and said to him, “I wish you would go to the 
palace of the Grand Seignior, and when the grand 
vizier’s son is about to enter the apartments of the 
Princess Bellastra, seize him and carry him off to 
Damascus. There you may set him down in a laurel 
wood and guard him until further orders.” The spirit 
did exactly as Lameth had ordered. In vain the lovely 
Bellastra waited for her betrothed, and when she told 
her father that she had not even seen the grand vizier’s 
son, the sultan grew angry, sent for the grand vizier 
and said, “What, has your son so little respect for his 
betrothed that he does not even visit her?” The grand 
vizier assured the sultan that his son had left home 
to visit the princess, but that he had not been seen since. 
Search was made for the lost bridegroom everywhere, 
but not a trace of him could be found; and so the day 
of the wedding passed by and Bellastra’s betrothal 
was declared null and void. 


262 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


When three months had passed without news of the 
grand vizier’s son, the son of the grand admiral ven¬ 
tured to sue for Bellastra’s hand. His suit was ap¬ 
proved by the sultan, and new wedding preparations 
were made. Lameth, quite undisturbed, though he 
knew all about the matter, let the betrothal take place 
and then, when the bridegroom was about to go to 
his bride, had him carried off by an air spirit to Cairo 
in Egypt, and set down in an orange-grove, to be 
guarded there until further orders. Again Bellastra 
awaited her promised husband, in vain. She wept and 
lamented her misfortune, and the Grand Seignior 
shook his head sorrowfully and saw there was some mys¬ 
tery in this constant disappearance of his daughter’s 
bridegrooms. Yet, since there was nothing to be done, 
the time went by until Lameth’s six months were up. 

When that day arrived, Lameth said to his father, 
“Father, it is time to remind the sultan of his promise 
and to hear his decision with regard to my suit.” So 
he laid twelve other precious stones in a basket, the 
largest and most beautiful he had, and to them added 
the string of pearls on which the lock had hung: the 
pearls he sent as a special present for Bellastra. “Go 
now, dear father,” he said, “and return soon with’ an 
answer which will make me happy.” The old man 
went, and when the sultan saw him in the audience 
chamber he remembered his promise, sent all others 
out of the room and asked Achim what he desired. 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 263 

Achim cast himself to the ground and cried, “King of 
the World! My son Lameth begs that you will look 
with favor on him, and seeing that six months now have 
gone by, that you will grant the humble plea he has 
already made. He has sent the jewels in this basket 
to you as a trifling gift, and ventures at the same time 
to lay this string of pearls at the Princess Bellastra’s 
feet.” 

The sultan had the basket handed to him and when 
he saw the costly jewels he started up and cried, “What 
king sends me such gems?” Then he sent for his coun¬ 
sellors, and advised with them as to what to do. He 
said that although he did not know the person who sent 
him these magnificent gifts, it was clear he must be 
the richest man in the empire. The grand vizier, 
however, still discontented because the Princess Bel- 
lastra had not been given to his son, said, “All-power¬ 
ful monarch! Do as you see fit, yet in my opinion it 
would be well to put this person to a test before you 
promise him your daughter’s hand. Let him produce 
the bridal dower he has offered you. If he does so 
then we will know that he is really as wealthy as he 
seems to be.” 

This proposal pleased the sultan. He returned to 
the audience chamber and said to Achim, “Go back 
to your son and say that I have received his gifts with 
favor. Say also that if he gives me for my daughter’s 
bridal dower six camels laden with gold and six camels 


264 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

laden with silver, six white slaves, each carrying a bag 
of the costliest Persian stuffs, and six black slaves each 
bearing a basket of jewels like those he already has 
sent me, then he shall become my son-in-law.” 

When Achim heard this, he bowed sadly and went 
home, his mind full of sorrowful thoughts. The 
Grand Seignior, however, went to his daughter Bel- 
lastra and handing her the splendid string of pearls, 
said: “An unknown man is suing for your hand. He 
has sent me gifts so valuable that I have never yet 
seen their like, and to-day he brought me this string 
of pearls. What do you think of it?” Bellastra took 
the pearls and examined them. The string was so 
long that it passed six times around her neck, and then 
six times around each of her wrists. Every pearl was 
beautiful, large, round and without fault, and all weie 
perfectly matched. Then the princess said to her 
father, “I should like to know the person who possesses 
such treasures. I do not believe there is another string 
of pearls like this in all the world.” To this the sultan 
agreed adding, “I regret I gave him an answer which 
really makes his suit hopeless. I have asked him to 
supply a bridal dower which it is quite impossible for 
him to furnish.” And when he told the princess what 
he had demanded, she grew very sad and cried, “I see 
that I am fated never to marry!” 

***** 

When Lameth’s father returned his son impatiently 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 265 

asked him what he had accomplished. Said Achim, 
“Son, you are as likely to gain the hand of the Princess 
Bellastra as you are to pluck the stars from the 
heavens!” And he told him what the sultan wanted 
for a bridal dower. But Lameth did not let his father 
finish. “Is that all the sultan wants?” he cried. “I 
think you have lost your mind,” said Achim, “for if 
you could turn all the paving-stones of Constantinople 
into gold, silver and jewels, you would not have enough 
to meet the sultan’s demand.” But Lameth only 
laughed, and told his father to wait and see: “Wait 
but a few hours. To-morrow I know you will change 
your mind.” And, since evening had come, he went 
calmly to bed and told his father to be sure to rise 
early the next day. He himself got up before dawn, 
took his magic lock, turned the key in the key-hole, and 
thus called forth the earth spirits, who appeared with 
the utmost willingness. “Worthy possessor of the ad¬ 
mirable lock,” said they, “what is your desire?” 
Lameth quickly replied, “That you at once bring me 
six camels laden with gold and six with silver, then 
six black slaves each carrying a silver bowl full of 
jewels, and six white slaves, each bearing a bag of Per¬ 
sian fabrics, shawls and European laces, from the 
Xa Xa Cavern.” “It shall be done at once,” the earth 
spirits gladly replied, and before sunrise they returned 
with all Lameth had demanded. 


266 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

Achim, who was still sleeping, was awakened by the 
noise the slaves and camels made. Opening his win¬ 
dow he was not a little surprised to see all for which 
the sultan had called before his eyes. He ran breath¬ 
lessly downstairs to his son to tell him the joyful news, 
and Lameth laughed and said, “Well, was it much 
trouble for me to satisfy the Grand Seignior’s request? 
Now set out with and deliver to the sultan the treas¬ 
ures he asked for, and tell him that I value them far 
less than the happiness of winning the hand of the 
beautiful Bellastra.” Achim thought he was dream¬ 
ing as he led the procession to the sultan’s palace. The 
people were astounded at the sight, and hurried after 
the loaded beasts and slaves. When they neared the 
sultan’s palace and the guards saw the crowds they 
thought a revolt had broken out, closed the gates and 
sent word to the Grand Seignior. The latter came to 
a palace window, and looked anxiously out until he 
realized that this was the bridal dower he had de¬ 
manded for his daughter. He at once sent for Achim, 
who delivered everything to him in his son Lameth’s 
name, recommending him to his favor. 

Then the sultan sent for his daughter Bellastra, while 
the slaves entered and laid down their costly burdens 
at her feet. The chests full of gold and silver were 
too heavy to be unloaded and brought to the sultan 
on the spot, so the camels took them off to the treasury. 
The sultan examined the precious stones and the costly 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 267 

fabrics, most of them unknown to him and of incal¬ 
culable value, and finally said to his daughter, “Well, 
what of your husband-to-be? Do you think that this 
time he will prove worthy of you?” And Bellastra 
answered, “If I am to judge by what I now see he must 
be the wealthiest and happiest man in the world.” 
Then the Grand Seignior called together all his coun¬ 
sellors and showed them the bridal dower. All were 
silent, and not even the grand vizier ventured to say 
a word. Thereupon the sultan broke the silence, went 
to Achim and said to him, “Return to your son, and 
say that I greet him as my daughter’s husband-to-be. 
Let him not delay coming to the palace, for the sooner 
I see him the more pleased I shall be.” 

Achim, nearly beside himself with pleasure, took 
his departure, ran all the way home like a young deer, 
and gave Lameth the sultan’s message. The latter 
could scarcely contain himself for joy. “Father,” he 
cried, “before all else we must now equip ourselves in 
a proper and befitting manner to pay our respects to 
the Grand Seignior!” He went into his room, sum¬ 
moned the earth spirits with the aid of his lock, and 
said to them, “Bring me first of all a handsome English 
horse to ride; and then clothes splendid enough to do 
honor to a sultan’s son-in-law; and after that a dis¬ 
tinguished suite, so that I may enter the palace to the 
sound of kettledrums and trumpets!” 

The earth spirits went to work with a will. But 


268 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

first of all, and without his having asked for it, they 
led the master of the lock into the bath of wisdom. 
When he had plunged into it he was in a single moment 
so changed that in figure, manners, virtues and wisdom 
there was no longer his equal on earth, and he was at 
once endowed with all the qualities which a great lord 
by rights should have. Then they brought him home 
again, where all was prepared for the adornment of 
Achim and himself, and where, with the aid of the 
attendant spirits, they were soon ready to set forth. 
Lameth wore a magnificent kaftan lined with ermine 
and with diamond buttons, such as the sultan himself 
had never put on. He mounted the noble English 
steed awaiting him with great dignity, and surrounded 
by a number of slaves on foot and on horseback, rode 
with his following to the sultan’s court. Achim led 
the procession with outriders, and in the middle was 
Lameth, on his English horse, which danced along in 
the most graceful manner, so that all eyes were fixed 
upon him, and all had to admit they had never seen 
anything like it. The procession closed with a num¬ 
ber of servitors wearing frontlets of gold-foil and sil¬ 
ver-foil on which were engraved Lameth’s name, and 
which reflected the sun’s rays in so dazzling a manner 
that those who looked at them had to turn away their 
eyes. 

The sultan heard the sound of kettledrums and trum¬ 
pets in the distance, and finally saw the procession itself 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 269 

draw near. Yet he did not recognize Achim, the old 
day laborer, in his rich garments until the latter dis¬ 
mounted, prostrated himself before the Grand Seignior, 
and announced Lameth’s arrival. Lameth drew near 
the palace and made as though to dismount before the 
outer gate, but two palace attendants, coming up with 
great respect, led his horse into the courtyard, and 
there helped him dismount. When he had ascended 
the stairs the Grand Seignior embraced him and led 
him to a room where stood the Princess Bellastra in 
all the radiance of her beauty. Lameth fell at her 
feet and said, “With your imperial father’s permission 
your slave ventures to fling himself at your feet, humbly 
to offer you his love, and beg that you will return it.” 
Bellastra bashfully gave him her hand and answered, 
“Whatever my father may have promised in my name 
that must I do. Yet I assure you, that I do it without 
being compelled, and only wish that you may be more 
fortunate than others who have sued for my hand.” 
Lameth understood this last remark only too well, yet 
he controlled himself and commended himself to Bel- 
lastra’s kindness and favor. 

And now the trumpets called all to the banquet. 
The sultan and the day laborer sat on one side of the 
table, Lameth and Bellastra on the other, and were 
served by the great lords of the court. Lameth had 
in his suite all sorts of musicians, who played African, 
Indian and European airs in turn, and so pleased the 


270 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

sultan and his daughter that they forgot to eat and 
drink. Lameth himself acted in the most genteel way, 
and answered all the sultan’s questions in so intelligent 
a manner that the latter took a great liking to him. 
But Bellastra often sighed and said to herself, “I do 
hope my betrothed will not share the fate of my two 
other suitors.” The day of the wedding was fixed, 
and when the sultan offered to give the couple a suite 
of rooms in his palace, Lameth begged him to let him 
build a suitable mansion himself, opposite the palace 
of the Grand Seignior. 

To this the sultan agreed, and when evening came 
Lameth took leave with his suite, his attendants being 
assigned quarters by the sultan in the neighborhood. 
Before he went to bed, by means of his ring and lock, 
Lameth assembled air spirits and earth spirits and said 
to them, “I herewith command you, without making 
a sound, to build me a new palace opposite the sultan’s 
palace this very night, one more magnificent than any 
in existence. It must have four gates and a commo¬ 
dious inner court; the rooms and halls must all be laid 
out regularly and be well furnished; the stables filled 
with handsome and valuable horses; kitchens and cel¬ 
lars supplied with all the necessary equipment, foods 
and beverages; and the treasure-chamber must hold 
plenty of coined money. All that a royal court de¬ 
mands should be richly provided. If you do this it 
will give me particular pleasure.” 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 271 

The spirits at once set to work and did as Lameth had 
ordered. A wondrous palace of white, blue, red and 
green striped marble rose in the air; what ordinarily 
was made of iron, in this palace was artfully wrought 
of gold and silver; and the rooms within were equipped 
with the costliest furniture, such as it would be impos¬ 
sible to see elsewhere. And this whole great palace 
was built so silently that the sentinel standing guard 
before the sultan’s palace across the way had not the 
slightest knowledge of what was going on and, since 
it was a very dark night, could not even see what was 
happening. 

* * * * * 

Now the sultan was an old gentleman, who did not 
sleep late in the morning. It was his habit, as soon 
as he rose, to step to the window to enjoy the cool 
morning breeze and the beautiful view, for he could 
overlook all Constantinople from his palace. The fol¬ 
lowing morning he rose as usual, while it was still dark, 
and looked out of the window. And there, in the grey 
light, he saw something across the way which deprived 
him of his accustomed view. He rubbed his eyes, 
thinking that the morning mists were swimming be¬ 
fore him. But when he looked again, it seemed to 
him that he could make out a great mansion or palace. 
As there had been nothing there the previous evening, 
he called down to the sentinel on guard below and 
asked him what was standing opposite, in the great 


272 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

square. The sentinel replied that it seemed to be a 
great and magnificent palace. Filled with astonish¬ 
ment, the sultan sent one of his guards to the spot, who 
returned and reported that it was really a palace, more 
splendid than any the human eye had ever seen. Yet 
no one could tell how it had gotten there, for not a 
sound had been heard during the night. Yet the guard 
could not say enough about it, how it was all made of 
marble, jasper, porphyry and other beautifully pol¬ 
ished stones, that all the window-fittings were of silver 
and all the window-panes of crystal. 

The sultan was astonished, especially, when as it be¬ 
came lighter, the whole splendor of the palace was re¬ 
vealed to his sight. He sent for his daughter Bellastra 
and said to her, “You will not have to wait long to be 
married, for there stands the mansion which your hus¬ 
band has had built for you in the course of a single 
night.” Bellastra was not a little surprised at the 
sight, yet she was glad at heart at the prospect of being 
united to Lameth so soon. Now the latter himself ar¬ 
rived with his lordly suite, established himself in the 
newly built palace, and found everything as well ar¬ 
ranged as heart might wish. Naturally, he was greatly 
pleased, and praised his serviceable spirits. Then he 
sent the master of the household to the sultan with a 
most respectful greeting, to inform him that the new 
palace stood ready, and to ask whether His Majesty 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 273 

would be pleased to have the betrothal ceremony take 
place in it. 

The sultan sent back a gracious message and ordered 
all to be made ready for the ceremony. When Lam- 
eth was informed that Bellastra was awaiting him, 
he called for her with a far more splendid escort than 
his former one, and brought her, the Grand Seignior 
and his entire court to the new palace, whose magnifi¬ 
cence they could not sufficiently admire. The cere¬ 
mony was performed and then followed a splendid ban¬ 
quet, at which the sultan’s table was served in dishes 
of pure gold and that of the court in dishes of silver. 
The sultan was dumbfounded, and admitted that he 
himself could not have done this. The most charm¬ 
ing music was heard, and a special band of singers 
praised Bellastra’s beauty and virtues to the accom¬ 
paniment of stringed instruments. Thus the day went 
by in all sorts of pleasures. Lameth was happy by 
the side of his lovely bride, though she herself still 
secretly feared that her new-found husband might sud¬ 
denly disappear like her other suitors. 

Nothing of the sort happened, however, and the 
young pair led a happy and contented life in their 
beautiful home. The sultan was Lameth’s best friend, 
and he won the hearts of great and small at court by 
his kindness and liberality. The poor and needy never 
applied to him in vain, and so widespread was his repu- 


274 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

tation for charity that his palace was commonly known 
as the Castle of Aid. 

Yet with all this Lameth’s good fortune was not yet 
firmly established. Fate was still to deal him a hard, 
blow. The evil magician Mattetai was living in Eu¬ 
rope, and committing many iniquities, day by day. In 
the end, through his magic arts, he managed to com¬ 
pel the obedience of the air and earth spirits as be¬ 
fore, and just as he had forced the water spirits to do 
his will, so he also became master of the fire spirits. 
One day he recalled the wonderful ring he had lost, 
and felt a desire to know what had happened with re¬ 
gard to the Xa Xa Cavern, and whether he could not 
regain the ring. So he summoned the fire spirits, who 
appeared angrily and showed that they did not enjoy 
being disturbed. They shook themselves until the 
sparks flew, and shouted at the magician in a horrible 
voice, “What do you want of us?” Mattetai said, “Is 
it possible for me to regain the wonderful ring I have 
lost, and obtain possession of the admirable lock in the 
Xa Xa Cavern?” The spirits answered, “That is not 
possible. We are not powerful enough to give them 
to you. Both are the property of Lameth, and he 
does not misuse them. And, since he is served by air 
and by earth spirits, we cannot openly deprive him of 
them.” 

When Mattetai heard this, he was not a little sur¬ 
prised. He had long since forgotten Lameth, and 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 275 


thought he had turned to dust and ashes. So he cried, 
“What! Lameth living? And in addition the owner 
of the two greatest treasures on earth? What must I 
hear? Miserable wretch, I have not been able to do 
what he has done with all my magic arts, pains and 
labor. The scoundrel has got the better of me and 
robbed me of both treasures!” Mattetai acted like a 
madman, and carried on so that even the fire spirits 
felt sorry for him and said, “Mattetai, good fortune has 
favored Lameth, the good fortune you could not com¬ 
pel with all your magic arts! Yet do not despair. 
Perhaps cunning will win for you that which you de¬ 
sire. Lameth lives happily and in perfect peace of 
mind. He does not think of his lock, and lets it lie 
idly in some corner. Try and see whether you cannot 
take it from him: anything we will do to aid you will 
be gladly done.” Mattetai once more felt happy, dis¬ 
missed the fire spirits, and began to think over how 
he might obtain the wonderful talismans. He sum¬ 
moned the water spirits, who also obeyed him, and had 
himself carried through the sea to Constantinople. 
Here he hunted up comfortable lodgings and made in¬ 
quiries about Lameth. All whom he questioned spoke 
well of Lameth: they praised his liberality and his 
other virtues, and told how he was beloved by his wife 
Bellastra, highly esteemed by his father-in-law, the 
sultan, and the grandees of his court, and honored by 
all the world in Constantinople. Mattetai gnashed his 


276 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

teeth with rage at these reports; but controlled his bit¬ 
terness, and had himself led to the spot where Lameth’s 
beautiful palace stood. 

Unfortunately, at that very moment Bellastra hap¬ 
pened to be looking out of the window, and the old 
magician was so delighted with her beauty that he no 
longer thought of merely robbing poor Lameth of his 
ring and lock, but of his lovely wife as well. Yet, in 
order to do so, he needed the lock. He hurried back 
to his quarters, shut himself up in his room, summoned 
the fire spirits and begged them earnestly to help him 
obtain the lock. When they said they were willing he 
sent them to spy out the land, and they returned with 
the news that Lameth was not at home, but away on a 
hunting expedition, from which he would not return 
for several' days. They also told him that the admir¬ 
able lock lay in a bed-room on a velvet cushion. 
Mattetai scolded the spirits for not bringing it along 
with them at once, but they answered that it was not 
in their power to do so, and that they had not even 
dared approach it. Then Mattetai took his head in 
both hands and thought for a long time. At last he 
said to the spirits, “Listen! Early to-morrow morning 
provide me with a handsome retinue of servants, as 
well as a splendid Persian robe and a good saddle- 
horse for myself, and I will try my luck.” 

This the spirits promised to do, and the following 
morning there appeared ten Persian guards, who 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 277 


brought with them a rich Persian dress and a fine horse 
for Mattetai. The latter was ready, and after he had 
given the fire spirits their instructions, rode off to the 
palace. He sent a servant before him, to announce that 
the Persian ambassador, an old friend of Lameth’s, 
wished to see him. Bellastra sent word that she re¬ 
gretted her husband was away at the time, but that if 
the ambassador would wait a few days she would send 
messengers to her husband, who would at once return 
to enjoy his old friend’s visit. Mattetai’s servant, a 
fire spirit who had already been told what to say, an¬ 
swered, “My master will regret to receive your mes¬ 
sage. He is merely passing through Constantinople, 
and cannot remain in the city after this evening. Yet 
he begs that he may be permitted to have the honor of 
seeing his friend’s magnificent palace, whose fame has 
travelled even to far-away Persia. The shah, his mas¬ 
ter, has ordered him to examine it, and bring back a 
detailed description of it.” 

Bellastra saw no harm in granting the stranger’s re¬ 
quest. She sent her master of the household to him, 
and had him taken through the palace. When Mat¬ 
tetai reached the room in which Bellastra was seated, 
he showed her every honor, kissed the hem of her gar¬ 
ment and apologized for the trouble he was causing. 
Bellastra treated him with courtesy, and since Mattetai 
acted like a true courtier, she allowed him to see every 
room in the palace. When they came to Lameth’s bed- 


278 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

room, the palace servants hesitated to open it, declar¬ 
ing that it was not in order. But Mattetai insisted, 
saying that he had to make a complete plan of the 
building for his master (to make this plausible, he 
carried tablets in his hand, and made notes in every 
room). It would do him little credit, said he, if he 
had to deliver an incomplete plan. So they finally 
opened the room for him, and once in he began glanc¬ 
ing around to discover the lock. As soon as he saw 
it he coughed loudly—this was the signal he had agreed 
to give the fire spirits—and at once a cry of “Fire, 
fire!” rang out in the courtyard below. In fact, flames 
were seen rising everywhere, and although the palace 
was solidly built of stone, it seemed to be burning all 
over, as though it were made of wood or some other 
inflammable material. Every one ran to put out the 
fire, and in the general confusion Mattetai seized the 
admirable lock of the Xa Xa Cavern and quickly 
slipped it into his pocket. Then he also ran and 
helped the spirits put out the fire, so that when the 
flames had disappeared, all thanked the Persian am¬ 
bassador for his timely aid. Now the magician did 
not prolong his visit. He took leave of Bellastra, and 
rode contentedly back to his lodgings, for he now had 
the wonderful lock in his pocket. There he paid his 
bill, mounted and rode out of the city gates, and once 
he had reached the forest dismissed his band of spirits 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 279 

in disguise. Then he made his way to the nearest 
village and awaited the night with impatience. At 
midnight he shut himself up in his room, drew his 
dear lock from his pocket and kissed it in his joy. 
Then he turned the key in the lock and summoned the 
earth spirits bound to it. 

Four of them appeared, but it was plain that they 
did so unwillingly, for they growled like bears and 
said, “Unworthy owner of the admirable lock, what 
do you desire of us?” Mattetai quickly answered, 
“Hurry, take Lameth’s beautiful palace with Bellastra 
and everything in it, and carry it off to America. 
There set it down in a pleasant place.” When the 
spirits heard this they foamed with rage, stamped on 
the ground so that the earth shook and replied, “Un¬ 
worthy owner of the admirable lock, know that for the 
moment we must obey you, yet know also that you will 
be punished because of your malice at the proper 
time!” In spite of this speech, however, an earth 
spirit seized the magician by the hair and, in accord¬ 
ance with his command, took him to America. The 
other spirits carried off Lameth’s beautiful palace, to¬ 
gether with Bellastra and her attendants, and set it 
down in a fair plain near a forest of green palm-trees. 
Mattetai now dismissed the earth spirits and summoned 
the fire spirits, whom he ordered to seize all Bellastra’s 
attendants and carry them off to an uninhabitable des- 


280 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

ert. This they did in the twinkling of an eye, and by 
the magician’s command, only Bellastra and her tire- 
woman were left. 

When morning came and Bellastra awoke, the palace 
was so quiet she did not know what it meant. And 
when she rose and looked out of the window, she did 
not know whether she was asleep or awake. She saw 
that she was in her palace, yet instead of overlooking 
the noisy, bustling city of Constantinople, she gazed 
out into a strange region totally unknown to her, into 
a still, green wilderness. Frightened, she called her 
tirewoman, but the latter was as frightened as her mis¬ 
tress. There was not a soul in the palace and all the 
doors were locked. Bellastra was greatly alarmed. 
While she was speaking with her tirewoman the door 
opened and the magician Mattetai entered. He bowed 
low, and was about to offer the princess an apology, 
when the latter, confused by his entrance, hurried into 
the adjoining apartment with her attendant and pushed 
the bolt home in the lock after her, in order to escape 
so repulsive an apparition. 

* * * * * 

In Constantinople, the night his daughter’s palace 
was carried off, the sultan found himself unable to 
sleep. He tossed about on his couch and grew weary 
of lying on it. And since the moon was shining 
brightly he rose and looked out of the window in the 
direction of Lameth’s palace. His eyes grew round 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 281 


with wonder when he saw that there was no palace 
there, but only empty space. At first he thought he 
must be dreaming, but looking more closely and still 
unable to make out the palace, he called his favorite 
body servant and ordered him to look out of the win¬ 
dow in turn. As soon as the latter had glanced out of 
the window he cried, “Allah be with usl I no longer 
see the palace. I cannot tell whether it has sunk be¬ 
neath the earth or what has become of it!” Then the 
sultan had the alarm given; the grand vizier and the 
other ministers were sent for, and he asked what they 
thought of the disappearance of the palace and his 
daughter. The grand vizier, who though he had con¬ 
cealed it, was no friend of Lameth’s, whom he sus¬ 
pected of being concerned in the disappearance of his 
son, said, “Surely this Lameth must have been an arch¬ 
magician! He disguised his true self in order to de¬ 
ceive the wisest and most beautiful persons in the world, 
and clear them out of the way when he was weary of 
them.” 

The sultan fell into a rage. He ordered the cap¬ 
tain of his guard to seek out Prince Lameth where he 
was hunting, to take him prisoner and bring him to 
court closely guarded. The captain was loath to do 
this, for he was very fond of Lameth, yet he could not 
refuse to obey and therefore rode off with his soldiers 
to carry out the command. He soon met him, for 
Lameth, seized with an unaccountable melancholy, had 


282 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


left the hunting party and was on his way back to 
Constantinople. When he saw the captain of the 
guard he asked him whether all was well, and what was 
the news from Constantinople. The latter shrugged 
his shoulders and answered, “There is little news, my 
lord! I have been ordered to take you prisoner and 
only wish the order applied to some one else.” Lameth 
who had nothing on his conscience, asked why he had 
fallen into disfavor, but the captain told him that the 
sultan himself would inform him. Then Lameth will¬ 
ingly yielded up his sword to him and said, “Friend, 
my conscience is clear, and I fear nothing.” So he 
rode back to the city with the captain, surrounded by 
the latter’s people, and entered the Grand Seignior’s 
palace from the rear. 

The sultan looked at Lameth with fire in his eye, 
seized him by the hand, led him to the window and 
asked, “Tell me now, where is your magic palace? 
And what have you done with my daughter Bellastra?” 
Lameth looked out of the window, and when he no 
longer saw his palace he was so frightened that he fell 
into a faint without saying a word. All means were 
used to restore him to consciousness, and then he broke 
out into lamentations for the loss of his beloved 
Bellastra which might have moved a stone. But the 
Grand Seignior was quite unmoved. He was so em¬ 
bittered, in fact, that he allowed Lameth only three 
days in which to bring back his daughter or be put to 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 283 


death. His misfortune had deprived Lameth of his 
senses, and he himself only yearned for the hour which 
would put an end to his wretched existence. In the 
meantime the sons of the grand vizier and the grand 
admiral suddenly turned up again. They reported 
that they had been carried off by some invisible crea¬ 
ture, and had been kept prisoner until that hour. One 
had been held captive in an olive wood, the other in a 
pomegranate grove, until both had suddenly been set 
down in Constantinople again. Since the earth spirits 
were no longer under Lameth’s command, his orders 
were no longer valid; for the spirits had to serve who¬ 
ever had the magic lock in their possession. Besides, 
the kindly spirits thought that they were doing Lameth 
a favor by bringing back the two exiles to the spot from 
which they had taken them. But now the vizier and 
admiral abused Lameth, and said that he must have 
enchanted their sons. They gave the sultan no rest, 
and when the third day dawned and Lameth, sighing 
and with tears in his eyes stood silently before him, the 
Grand Seignior ordered that he be hanged in the court¬ 
yard of the palace. 

But the soldiers, who were very fond of Lameth, 
objected to this cruel order. Some ran out of the 
palace court and told the people. A tremendous 
crowd gathered, the palace gates were broken down, 
and the mob broke raging into the courtyard, crying 
that if Lameth was to die they would die with him, 


284 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

or else break the neck of every one who was to blame 
for his death. Then the sultan and the great lords of 
his court changed their minds. The sultan called 
down from the window that Lameth’s life would be 
spared, and gave the order to release him at once, and 
some of the nobles, accompanied by many of the peo¬ 
ple, led the sorrowing Lameth out of the city gates. 
Taking no joy in his rescue Lameth staggered along 
like a drunken man until, abandoned by the people, 
he came to a thick forest, where he sat down in the 
brush and lamented his unhappy fate. Suddenly it 
occurred to him that he still wore on his finger the 
admirable ring which gave him power over the spirits 
of the air. He swiftly turned the ring and an air 
spirit appeared. “Faithful servant of mine,” said 
Lameth, “you must know that an evildoer has robbed 
me of my incomparable lock, and thus managed to 
carry off my newly-built palace as well as my beloved 
Bellastra. Surely you must know where they are at 
the present moment. I beg you to tell me where I 
can find them and whether I will be able to regain my 
beloved wife.” The air spirit answered, “It was the 
traitor Mattetai who robbed you by means of a trick, 
and immediately carried off the palace and Bellastra 
to America, where he is now persecuting her. Yet do 
not despair, Lameth! The earth spirits only serve the 
magician because they are compelled to do so, and will 
be happy to be freed from his power. Let me carry 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 285 


you to America, to the place where Mattetai holds your 
wife captive. There you can trick him as he has 
tricked you.” 

* * * * * 

Lameth took more interest in life now that he knew 
where he could find his beloved Bellastra. He begged 
the spirit to take him to America at once, and the latter 
seized him, carried him thither, and set him on the 
ground in the palm-grove, from which he could see 
the familiar outlines of his beautiful palace. Then 
Lameth ordered his air spirit to provide him with beg¬ 
gar’s rags, and disguise him so that none could recog¬ 
nize him. The spirit obeyed and soon Lameth was 
transformed into a wretched, limping beggar whom his 
own father would not have known again. Thus dis¬ 
guised he hobbled out of the palm-grove and took his 
way to the palace. His heart wellnigh broke when 
he saw Bellastra looking sadly out of the window, her 
head in both hands, so lost in gloomy thoughts that she 
did not see the beggar until he stood before her and 
asked for alms. Bellastra flung down a silver coin to 
him and said, “Pray for me, old man, that I soon may 
be released from my sufferings!” The disguised 
Lameth answered, “Indeed I will do so, lovely lady, 
and I can assure you that before long your wish will 
be granted.” Bellastra looked at him from head to 
foot and replied with a sigh, “Ah, if what you say is 
true, I will see to it that you never again need beg!” 


286 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


Then Lameth drew nearer and said, “If you would let 
me speak to you alone for a few minutes, I am sure I 
could serve you, for I know your whole secret.” Bel- 
lastra now studied the old beggar with increasing at¬ 
tention, and since his mysterious speeches seemed full 
of meaning, she answered, “Come this evening, when 
it is dark. My tirewoman shall lead you to me.” 

Lameth made a limping bow and answered, “You 
shall not regret it. The deed shall justify my words.” 
He limped back to the palm-grove and waited until 
night had fallen. Meanwhile he had summoned his 
air spirit and made all his plans. The latter had told 
him that Mattetai continually wore the lock from the 
Xa Xa Cavern hanging from a strong gold chain 
around his neck. As long as the lock was in his power, 
it was impossible to kill him by means of sword, poison, 
fire or hempen cord. Even if he were flung between 
two millstones they would burst into pieces before he 
himself could come to harm. Hence Lameth must 
think of some ruse, and try to make the old magician 
unconscious by means of a powerful sleeping potion. 
As soon as he was unconscious, he could take the lock 
from his neck and dispose of him as he saw fit. So 
the spirit brought Lameth several bottles of sorbet and 
the sleeping potion, told him to give them to Bellastra, 
and tell her what use to put them to. 

Greatly pleased with the spirit’s advice, Lameth went 
to the palace that night with the bottles of sorbet and 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 287 

the sleeping potion hidden in a basket. The tire¬ 
woman was waiting to admit him and led him to Bel- 
lastra without any trouble, since the magician had gone 
away for several days. When the pretended beggar 
entered Bellastra’s room he found her sitting sadly on 
a couch. Said she to him, “Tell me, worthy old man, 
have you found some means by which I may be re¬ 
leased from my misery?” “Do as I say,” answered 
Lameth, “and to-morrow, when Mattetai returns, offer 
him this sorbet. Then, while he is drinking it, seize 
your chance and pour the sleeping potion into his cup. 
As soon as it takes effect on him and he falls uncon¬ 
scious, wave a white cloth from the window, and I will 
come and put an end to your wretchedness.” Bellastra 
listened to him with joy and promised to do exactly as 
he said. The beggar then placed the bottles of sorbet 
and the sleeping potion on the table, wished her the 
best of luck and went his way. 

* * * * * 

The following day Bellastra put on her finest clothes 
and waited for the magician to return. When he did 
so she sent for him, and when he entered her room 
said to him in the most friendly manner, “My dear 
friend, seeing that it is vain for me to grieve and wish 
to return to my loved ones, I have determined to stop 
sorrowing. I am even willing to marry you, if you 
will treat me with due respect and consideration.” 
Mattetai, whom the princess had thus far treated with 


288 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 


contempt and aversion, was delighted to hear her speak 
in this fashion. He could not find words strong 
enough to assure Bellastra that he and all he had were 
hers to command. Then she said, “In that case, let 
us drink to our better understanding,” and she brought 
out the bottles of sorbet and goblets of silver, and when 
Mattetai’s attention wandered for a moment she poured 
the sleeping potion into his goblet. No sooner had he 
emptied it than he fell unconscious to the ground. 
Bellastra first shook him, as though to aid him, but 
really to find out whether he had actually lost con¬ 
sciousness. And when he made no move she opened 
the window and waved the white cloth. The lame 
beggar flew up the stairs and was admitted by Bellas- 
tra’s tirewoman into the room where the wicked Mat- 
tetai lay like a stone on the floor. Lameth had his wife 
and her attendant leave the room, then flung himself 
on the magician, groping for the lock, which he found 
on his breast. He drew it off, together with the chain 
and turned the key. The earth spirits appeared, and 
leaping and dancing with joy, inquired, “Worthy 
owner of the inestimable lock, what is your command?” 
“Return this wicked magician to the elements from 
which he came,” said Lameth. No order could have 
given the earth spirits greater pleasure. They seized 
the sorcerer and in a moment he had totally disap¬ 
peared. The spirits now restored Lameth to his for¬ 
mer shape, clothed him in his princely garments, and 


THE LOCK IN THE XA XA CAVERN 289 

then immediately carried the palace and all it contained, 
back to Constantinople, together with the servitors Mat- 
tetai had banished to the desert. 

When all this had been done and the servitors were 
again at their posts, Lameth sent for his beloved Bel- 
lastra. When she entered the room she expected to see 
the limping beggar, but instead she beheld her hand¬ 
some husband and flung herself into his arms. Lameth 
told her how he had played the part of the beggar and 
all that had taken place. The servitors rushed in to 
greet their master, a good meal was prepared, and all 
were happy and contented. 

* * * * * 

When Bellastra awakened the next morning, her first 
glance out of the window once more disclosed the city 
of Constantinople. The sultan, for his part, when he 
rose early according to his custom and stepped to the 
window, saw Lameth’s palace once more standing in its 
old place. Wild with joy, he dressed hastily and hur¬ 
ried to the palace with his bodyguard. There his 
daughter Bellastra flew to meet him, welcomed him 
gladly and cleared her husband of all suspicion by ex¬ 
plaining matters as they really had happened. The 
Grand Seignior was ashamed of his hastiness and re¬ 
ceived Lameth, who hurried to welcome him, with 
great tenderness. The grand vizier and the grand ad¬ 
miral, who had tried to have him killed, flung them¬ 
selves at his feet and were pardoned. Lameth and 


290 FAIRY TALES FROM THE ORIENT 

Bellastra lived for many, many years in happiness and 
peace. The lock from the African Xa Xa Cavern, 
however, was more carefully guarded by Lameth than 
before, and he remained the undisturbed possessor of 
that invaluable talisman to the end of his days. 











SOURCES 


1. The History of Abu Hassan. This tale has been freely re¬ 

told after Paul Ernst’s charming Die Geschichte des Abu 
Hassan, contained in his Prinzessin des Ostens. It combines 
with much art two motives found in various Oriental fairy¬ 
tales, and does so with rare plausibility and effect. 

2. The Black Pearl. Recast, with certain changes of motive 

which seemed desirable for various reasons, this Indian legend 
is taken from Alphonse Lemerre’s Les Merveilles de VInde 
(Adja ib Al-Hind) a translation of a tenth century Arabic 
manuscript. 

3. Marouf, the Cobbler of Cairo. This famous tale from 

the “Thousand and One Nights,” on which the opera of the 
same title is based, has been retold, with such elisions and 
changes of detail in presentation as seemed called for, after 
a comparison of the following translations of the original 
Arabic: Sir Richard Burton’s “The Thousand and One 
Nights and a Night”; Dr. Madrus’ Les Mille et une Nuits, 
and Max Henning’s Tausend und eine Nacht . 

4. The Eyes of Kanoula. This beautiful tale, with a slight 

attenuation of the more brutal close which allows the wicked 
queen to be condemned to torture, a close not in accordance 
with Kanoula’s gentle, merciful character, has been told in 
Eugene Burnouf’s Introduction a Vhistoire du buddhisme 
indien . 

5. The White Bird. This poetic fairytale of a primitive people 

has been retold after the original in Bernard Julg’s KaU 
mukische Marc hen. 

6 . The Gardens of Irem. A true “Arabian Nights” tale in its 

richness of color and extravagance of incident, this story has 
291 


292 


SOURCES 


been retold after the Histoire de Seif el Moulouk, fils d’Assaf 
bin Safvane et de ses amours avec Bedieto l-Djemalj fille du 
roi des Peris, in the Contes Persans translated by A. Bricteux 
from an unpublished Arabic MSS. in the Berlin library. 

7. The Ungrateful Brahmin. This tale, from the Brahminic 

Mahabharata, has been retold with few changes, save in de¬ 
tail, and with the elision of an anthropophagic close. The 
version followed is that found in Johannes Hertel’s Indische 
Marchen. 

8. The Prince Who Learned the Weaver’s Trade. From 

Frederic Macler’s Contes et Legendes de VArmcnie, this folk¬ 
tale has been retold with only slight changes in detail. 

9. The Flower-Fool of Tsiang-Lo. Few stories in any fairy¬ 

tale literature compare with this unaffectedly natural, beau¬ 
tifully poetic and tender tale. It is to be found in the Kin 
Ku Ki Kuan (“The Old and the New Wonders”), a collec¬ 
tion dating from the end of the Ming dynasty in China 
(1368-1628 A.D.), and has been retold after the German 
version in the Chinesische Abende presented by Tsou Shou 
and Leo Greiner. 

10. The Fountain of Youth. A fairytale development of a 

theme which is the common property of many nations, this 
charming story has been adapted from Felicien Challeye’s Au 
Japan et en Extreme-Orient, in which it is presented, with 
the addition of a close which rounds out the tale in a more 
sympathetic and understandable fashion than does the original. 

11. Mija-Dsin-Usin, the Hundred and One Times Beau¬ 

tiful. This African Mohammedan tale has been retold 
with a development of its close which seemed desirable, after 
the original in the third volume of Leo Frobenius’ Volks - 
marchen der Kabylen. 

12. The Azure Lily. This story represents a free retelling of 

the delightful Spanish original El Lirio Azul, by Rafael 
Comenge, in the collection Los Mas Bellos Cuentos Infantiles. 


SOURCES 


293 


13 . The Knotted Nose. A fantastic tale whose motive is found 

in occidental as well as oriental fairylore, retold after Bernard 
Julg’s Mongolische Marclien. 

14 . Rothisen and Keo-Fa. This Cambodian legend, which 

points some noble moral thoughts, has been retold from an 
original in the Contes populates du Cambodge , du Laos et 
du Siam, by Auguste Pavie. 

15 . The Lovely Arevahate. Maurice Bouchor’s story Le 

Dragon , in Contes transcrits d'apres la tradition orientale et 
africaine, has been followed in this story. Bouchor’s source 
was J. Mourier’s Contes et Legetides du Caucase. 

16. The Mullah Idris. The original of this bit of Oriental 

humor is to be found in Mark Lidzbarski’s Geschichten und 
Liedcr aus den neuaramdischen Handschriften der konigligen 
Bibliothek zu Berlin . 

17 . The Pit the Cadi Dug. This tale is an episode taken from 

“The Story of the Prince Fadlallah and the Beautiful Zem- 
rude,” contained in the Persian Hezaryck-Ruz, “The Thou¬ 
sand Days and One Day.” In presenting it the French ver¬ 
sion of Petis de la Croix and the German version of Curt 
Moreck have been used. 

18 . The Lock in Xa Xa Cavern. In one collection after an¬ 

other, the tale of Aladdin is presented in its original form 
as it occurs in “The Thousand Nights and One Night.” 
The present medieval variant, after a German sixteenth 
century volksbuch, a folk legend, is that given by 
Gustav Schwab in his Fiinfzehn Deutsche Volksbucher, and 
has a novel charm and individual color. 




































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